Lake James
Roscommon County, Michigan900 acresView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- 37 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake James in Roscommon County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 6.8 ft visibility. Surface area: 900 acres.
- Clarity
- 6.8 ft
- Max depth
- ~37 ft est.
- Area
- 900 acres
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
- Public access
- Yes
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Stays near Lake James
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Watch Lake James’s letter
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Why Lake James has no grade
Lake James has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Lake James is Not Rated — not an F. Its 6.8-foot median from 30 readings collected 2021–2022 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by EGLE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Lake James is a 900-acre lake in Roscommon County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 37 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including Bluntnose minnow, Common shiner, and Hornyhead chub. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-10-05. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Lake James is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing12 species recorded
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Lake James
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.8 ft. TSI 50.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 6.8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 50 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~37 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~9 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 900 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Michigan has not published bathymetry for Lake James.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fish Species
Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.
Fishing Lake James
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.61 m/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake James is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake James Dam (completed 1962), built primarily for recreation on the Denton Creek; earth-type dam, 18 ft tall and 810 ft long.
- Surface area
- 900 ac
- Normal storage
- 750 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,465 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 41 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Lake James Property Owners Assoc
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00347 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Lake James under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Denton Twp WwtpHoughton Lake · 2.7 mi away · NPDES MI0053317Recent violation
- Basils ServicePrudenville · 1.6 mi away · NPDES MIG080681
- Total Station #2588Prudenville · 1.8 mi away · NPDES MIG080907
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.
Graded lakes near Lake James
Lake James has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Roscommon County
Frequently asked questions about Lake James
Where is Lake James?
- Lake James is a lake in Roscommon County, Michigan. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Lake James?
- Lake James in Roscommon County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 6.8 ft visibility. Surface area: 900 acres.
Is Lake James safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake James?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake James, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 37 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 900 acres.
What fish are in Lake James?
- Fish species found in Lake James include Bluntnose minnow, Common shiner, Hornyhead chub, Johnny darter, Mimic shiner, Northern logperch, Rock bass, Rosyface shiner, Sand shiner, Spottail shiner, Walleye, Yellow perch. Lake James is located in Roscommon County, Michigan.
Explore Lake James across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
30 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS30 samples · 2021–2022
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)