Ford Lake
Washtenaw County, Michigan974 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Ford Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 30 ft max depth
- Limited data
Ford Lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36 µg/L. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 973.7 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Ford Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 30 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Ford Lake is a 974-acre lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 30 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-10-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Ford Lake covers about 970 acres in Washtenaw County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Ford Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Ford Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Deep water30 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ford Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ford 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 Ford Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Ford Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 36 µg/L. TSI 59.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 36µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Ford Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Surface area
974 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ford Lake
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Fishing Ford Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2016–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Ford Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040900050403-02 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
21 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Ford Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 8 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Ycua Regional WwtpYpsilanti · 1.6 mi away · NPDES MI0042676MajorRecent violation
- Ford/Gm Willow Run Cr-LfYpsilanti · 2.2 mi away · NPDES MI0054909Recent violation
- Willow Run Airport MS4Ypsilanti · 2.4 mi away · NPDES MI0060221Recent violation
- Ycua Willow Run AirportYpsilanti · 2.5 mi away · NPDES MI0036960Recent violation
- Racer-Powertrain-Willow RunYpsilanti · 2.5 mi away · NPDES MI0043702Recent violation
- Wayne Disposal Inc LfBelleville · 3.7 mi away · NPDES MI0056413Recent 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 Washtenaw County
Frequently asked questions about Ford Lake
Where is Ford Lake?
- Ford Lake is a lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ford Lake?
- Ford Lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36 µg/L. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 973.7 acres.
Is Ford Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ford Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ford Lake?
- Ford Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake covers 973.7 acres.
Explore Ford Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS7 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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)