Duncan Lake
Barry County, Michigan130 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Duncan Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 55 ft max depth
- Limited data
Duncan Lake in Barry County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 55 ft. Surface area: 130 acres.
Duncan Lake is a 130-acre mesotrophic lake in Barry County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 55 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Barry County, Duncan Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2017-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Duncan Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Deep water55 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Duncan Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Duncan Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Duncan Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft. Phosphorus 36.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.2 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 36.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.2µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 53 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Duncan Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
55 ft
Surface area
130 acres
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Fishing Duncan Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2016–2017). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-7 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.1 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Duncan Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Duncan Lake Creek Dam, built primarily for other on the Duncan Creek; earth-type dam, 8 ft tall and 200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 130 ac
- Normal storage
- 520 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,170 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Ben Cychez
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI01099 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.65 km)
Nearby Lakes in Barry County
Frequently asked questions about Duncan Lake
Where is Duncan Lake?
- Duncan Lake is a lake in Barry County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Duncan Lake?
- Duncan Lake in Barry County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 55 ft. Surface area: 130 acres.
Is Duncan Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Duncan Lake?
- Duncan Lake has a maximum depth of 55 feet. The lake covers 130 acres.
Explore Duncan Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
40 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS40 samples · 2016–2017
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.