High Lake
Kent County, Michigan17 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for High Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Limited data
High Lake in Kent County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L. Surface area: 17.2 acres.
High Lake is a 17-acre mesotrophic lake in Kent County, Michigan. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 9 other monitored lakes in Kent County, High Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 High 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 High Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for High 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 6.3 ft. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.7 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.7µg/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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about High Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
High Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 53°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 55°F) and coldest in Jun (about 51°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (51°F) to its warmest (55°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 85 field readings (2022–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full High Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
17 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for High Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near High Lake
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Fishing High Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2016–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-10.31 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.8 µg/L/yr2 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
5 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of High Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Saddle Ridge Condo-AlgomaRockford · 2.2 mi away · NPDES MI0056723Recent violation
- North Kent LandfillRockford · 3.7 mi away · NPDES MI0037486Recent violation
- Wolverine World Wide Inc Former Tannery-RockfordRockford · 4.7 mi away · NPDES MI0060323Recent violation
- Byrne-Electrical-Spec IncRockford · 4.7 mi away · NPDES MIG250392
- Rockford MS4-KentRockford · 4.9 mi away · NPDES MI0060115
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 Kent County
Frequently asked questions about High Lake
Where is High Lake?
- High Lake is a lake in Kent County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of High Lake?
- High Lake in Kent County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L. Surface area: 17.2 acres.
Is High Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of High Lake?
- High Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in September, from 85 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore High Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
22 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS22 samples · 2016–2022
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.
Other records on this page
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)