Emerald Lake
Newaygo County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Emerald Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 49 ft max depth
- Limited data
Emerald Lake in Newaygo County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 49 ft.
Emerald Lake is a lake in Newaygo County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 49 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including Black crappie, Blacknose shiner, and Bluegill.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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What Emerald Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Deep water49 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Emerald 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 Emerald Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Emerald 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 13.5 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 40 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Emerald Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
49 ft
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Emerald Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Emerald Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 8 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Stable8 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.5 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.15 µg/L/yr3 years
Nearby Lakes in Newaygo County
Frequently asked questions about Emerald Lake
Where is Emerald Lake?
- Emerald Lake is a lake in Newaygo County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Emerald Lake?
- Emerald Lake in Newaygo County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 49 ft.
Is Emerald Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Emerald Lake?
- Emerald Lake has a maximum depth of 49 feet.
What fish are in Emerald Lake?
- Fish species found in Emerald Lake include Black crappie, Blacknose shiner, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Green sunfish, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, Largemouth bass, Northern pike, Pumpkinseed, Rock bass, Walleye, Western banded killifish, White sucker, Yellow perch. Emerald Lake is located in Newaygo County, Michigan.
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Where this data comes from
85 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS85 samples · 2016–2022
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.