Island Lake
Gladwin County, Michigan40 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Island Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 25 ft max depth
- Public access
Island Lake in Gladwin County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L. Surface area: 39.5 acres.
Island Lake is a 40-acre mesotrophic lake in Gladwin County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 25 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Gladwin County, Island Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Island Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16.5 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Island 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 Island Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Island 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 16.5 ft down. Phosphorus 7.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.4 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.4µg/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. | 36 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Island Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~25 ft est.
Surface area
40 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Michigan has not published bathymetry for Island Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,053 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Island Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Island Lake in Gladwin County, Michigan — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Island Lake
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Fishing Island Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2019–2023).
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.6 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Gladwin County
Frequently asked questions about Island Lake
Where is Island Lake?
- Island Lake is a lake in Gladwin County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Island Lake?
- Island Lake in Gladwin County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L. Surface area: 39.5 acres.
Is Island Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Island Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Island Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 25 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 39.5 acres.
Can I fish at Island Lake?
- Public access to Island 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.
Explore Island Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
22 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS22 samples · 2019–2023
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)