Elbow Lake
Lake County, Michigan47 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Elbow Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 30 ft max depth
- Limited data
Elbow Lake in Lake County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 46.6 acres.
Elbow Lake is a 47-acre mesotrophic lake in Lake County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 30 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Lake County, Elbow Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2018-08-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Elbow Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13 ft of visibility
- Deep water30 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 Elbow 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 Elbow Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Elbow Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft. Phosphorus 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.3 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.3µg/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. | 38 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Elbow Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Surface area
47 acres
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Stays near Elbow Lake
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Fishing Elbow Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2017–2018). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Elbow Lake
Where is Elbow Lake?
- Elbow Lake is a lake in Lake County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Elbow Lake?
- Elbow Lake in Lake County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 46.6 acres.
Is Elbow Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Elbow Lake?
- Elbow Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake covers 46.6 acres.
Explore Elbow Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
23 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS23 samples · 2017–2018
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.