Where is Lake Allegan?

Lake Allegan is a lake in Allegan County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.

How deep is Lake Allegan?

Lake Allegan has a maximum depth of 20 feet and an average depth of 18 feet. The lake covers 1696.1 acres.

Are there boat ramps on Lake Allegan?

Lake Allegan has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Kalamazoo River. Public access is listed as yes.

Can I fish at Lake Allegan?

Lake Allegan has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.

Lake Allegan

Allegan County, Michigan1,696 acresView map Directions

No nutrient or algae sampling on record from EGLE for this lake.

Max depth

20 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

1,696 acres

Surface area

Shoreline

2.2 mi

Measured length

Impaired · Algal growth
20 ft max depth
Public access

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Lake Allegan in Allegan County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 1696.1 acres.

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Water clarity at Lake Allegan

Moderate clarity. Across summers from 2018 to 2023, Lake Allegan averaged 1.55 m (5 ft) of visibility down into the water, so visibility is middling in midsummer, which is ordinary for a productive inland lake. This lake sits close to the line between clarity classes, so treat the label as approximate and the depth reading as the real number.

Nobody has taken a water sample here that we can find. Michigan's environmental agency measures clarity on lakes like this one from satellite images instead, which is why this page reports how clear the water is and no phosphorus or algae readings.

Clear is not the same as clean. A lake can be easy to see through and still carry high nutrient levels, and a naturally tea-stained lake can be perfectly healthy. The nutrient and algae readings on other lakes come from phosphorus and chlorophyll-a measured in a laboratory, and clarity alone cannot stand in for them.

The same satellite images put summer algae here at roughly 14.58 micrograms per litre. Estimating algae from orbit is far less exact than measuring clarity, so that figure is worth knowing and is not part of any rating.

Lake Allegan is a 1,696-acre lake in Allegan County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 20 feet (18-foot average). Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Lake Allegan is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Boat launch1 documented ramp
Big water1,696 acres

Swimming conditions

No reading

Not rated

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Allegan is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, dioxins, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Lake Allegan 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.

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Water quality measurements for Lake Allegan

These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Lake Allegan, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

No clarity data. TSI undefined.

Ask about Lake Allegan

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Max depth

20 ft

Average depth

18 ft

Surface area

1,696 acres

Shoreline

2.2 mi

Public access

Yes

Listed by EGLE

Recreation & Access

Boat Landings

Yes

Public Access

Kalamazoo RiverPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Lake Allegan

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Allegan in Allegan 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 Lake Allegan

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Follow Lake Allegan’s readings

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Fishing Lake Allegan

→ Lake Allegan fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

EPA Impairment Status

Lake Allegan is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Algal growthDioxinsNutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)PFASPCBs

Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040500030907-06 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Allegan County

Littlejohn Lake3.2 miView →Swan Creek Pond3.2 miView →Schermerhorn Lake4.6 miView →Dumont Lake4.2 miView →Lake Allegan4 miView →Wetmore Lake5.1 miView →

Frequently asked questions about Lake Allegan

Where is Lake Allegan?: Lake Allegan is a lake in Allegan County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Allegan?: Lake Allegan in Allegan County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 1696.1 acres.
Is Lake Allegan safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Allegan is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, dioxins, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Allegan?: Lake Allegan has a maximum depth of 20 feet and an average depth of 18 feet. The lake covers 1696.1 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Allegan?: Lake Allegan has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Kalamazoo River. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Allegan?: Lake Allegan has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.