Great Bear Lake
Van Buren County, Michigan166 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Great Bear Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 58 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Great Bear Lake in Van Buren County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 58 ft. Surface area: 166.2 acres.
Great Bear Lake is a 166-acre lake in Van Buren County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 58 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Great Bear Lake covers about 170 acres in Van Buren County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Great Bear Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Great Bear Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Deep water58 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Great Bear Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Great Bear 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 Great Bear Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Great Bear Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.5ft | 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. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Great Bear Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
58 ft
Surface area
166 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
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Stays near Great Bear Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Great Bear Lake
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Fishing Great Bear Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Great Bear 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: Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040500020206-03 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Great Bear Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Bloomingdale Village WwtpBloomingdale · 1.5 mi away · NPDES MI0058842Recent violation
- Pullman Industries IncBloomingdale · 2.6 mi away · NPDES MIG250384Recent 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 Van Buren County
Frequently asked questions about Great Bear Lake
Where is Great Bear Lake?
- Great Bear Lake is a lake in Van Buren County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Great Bear Lake?
- Great Bear Lake in Van Buren County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 58 ft. Surface area: 166.2 acres.
Is Great Bear Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Great Bear Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Great Bear Lake?
- Great Bear Lake has a maximum depth of 58 feet. The lake covers 166.2 acres.
Can I fish at Great Bear Lake?
- Public access to Great Bear Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Michigan's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
46 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS46 samples · 2021–2023
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)