Earl Lake
Livingston County, Michigan53 acresView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Impaired · PFAS
- Limited data
Earl Lake in Livingston County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Surface area: 53.2 acres.
- Clarity
- 6.5 ft
- Area
- 53 acres
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Stays near Earl Lake
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Watch Earl Lake’s letter
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Why Earl Lake has no grade
Earl Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Earl Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 6.5-foot median from 90 readings collected 2016–2021 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by EGLE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Earl Lake is a 53-acre lake in Livingston County, Michigan. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2021-09-12. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Earl Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pFAS, pCBs, salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Earl Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft. TSI 50.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 6.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 50 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Surface Area | 53 acres |
No bathymetric survey has been published for Earl Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Fishing Earl Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | +0.025 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +2.75 µg/L/yr | 4 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +2.08 µg/L/yr | 5 |
EPA Impairment Status
Earl Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040802030104-08 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Earl Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Chem-Trend Lp-Grand RiverHowell · 0.6 mi away · NPDES MI0041718Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Graded lakes near Earl Lake
Earl Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Livingston County
Frequently asked questions about Earl Lake
Where is Earl Lake?
- Earl Lake is a lake in Livingston County, Michigan. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Earl Lake?
- Earl Lake in Livingston County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Surface area: 53.2 acres.
Is Earl Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Earl Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pFAS, pCBs, salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
90 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS90 samples · 2016–2021
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)