Lake Independence
Marquette County, Michigan2,071 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Independence. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 30 ft max depth
- Limited data
Lake Independence in Marquette County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 2071 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Lake Independence, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 30 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Lake Independence is a 2,071-acre lake in Marquette 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 2022-09-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Independence covers about 2,100 acres in Marquette County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Independence, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Lake Independence is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Deep water30 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water2,071 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Independence is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Independence 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 Lake Independence
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Lake Independence, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8ft | 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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Independence
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Surface area
2,071 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Independence
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Independence in Marquette 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 Independence
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Fishing Lake Independence
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.36 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.13 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Independence is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Independence Dam (completed 1913), built primarily for recreation on the Iron River; earth-type dam, 14 ft tall and 150 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,071 ac
- Normal storage
- 9,330 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 16,100 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 95 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Marquette County Drain Commissioner
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00438 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Independence 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: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040201050303-02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Marquette County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Independence
Where is Lake Independence?
- Lake Independence is a lake in Marquette County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Independence?
- Lake Independence in Marquette County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 2071 acres.
Is Lake Independence safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Independence is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Independence?
- Lake Independence has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake covers 2071 acres.
Explore Lake Independence across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
47 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS47 samples · 2016–2022
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