First Lake
Iron County, Michigan185 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for First Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
First Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21 ft visibility. Surface area: 184.7 acres.
First Lake is a 185-acre lake in Iron County, Michigan. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-08-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What First Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water21 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. First Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether First 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 First Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for First Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 21 ft down. TSI 33.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 21ft | 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. | 33 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about First Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
185 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for First Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near First Lake
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Fishing First Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 8 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving8 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.46 µg/L/yr7 years
EPA Impairment Status
First Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040301060407-03 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of First Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Crystal Falls WfpCrystal Falls · 4.3 mi away · NPDES MIG640214Recent 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.
Nearby Lakes in Iron County
Frequently asked questions about First Lake
Where is First Lake?
- First Lake is a lake in Iron County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of First Lake?
- First Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21 ft visibility. Surface area: 184.7 acres.
Is First Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. First Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
70 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
NALMS70 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.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)