Lake Isabella
Isabella County, Michigan730 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Isabella. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Limited data
Lake Isabella in Isabella County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.5 µg/L. Surface area: 730 acres.
Lake Isabella is a 730-acre mesotrophic lake in Isabella County, Michigan. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Isabella County, Lake Isabella ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2019-09-18. 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 Lake Isabella 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 Isabella
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Lake Isabella, 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. Phosphorus 15.5 µg/L. TSI 47.
| 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 | 15.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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 Isabella
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
730 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Isabella, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Isabella
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Fishing Lake Isabella
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2016–2019).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Isabella is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Isabella Dam (completed 1967), built primarily for recreation on the Chippewa River; earth-type dam, 41 ft tall and 3,010 ft long.
- Surface area
- 730 ac
- Normal storage
- 5,760 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 13,500 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 416 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Lake Isabella Corporation
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00434 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.42 km)
Nearby Lakes in Isabella County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Isabella
Where is Lake Isabella?
- Lake Isabella is a lake in Isabella County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Isabella?
- Lake Isabella in Isabella County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.5 µg/L. Surface area: 730 acres.
Is Lake Isabella safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
83 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS83 samples · 2016–2019
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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.