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LakeQuality

Lake Lansing

Ingham County, Michigan453 acresView mapDirections

A
Excellent

Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.

Water temp
~66°F
Typical for Sep · EPA WQP
Clarity
10.3 ft
Secchi · sampled 2023
Max depth
~47 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Improving
2 years of samples
  • Mesotrophic
  • Impaired · PFAS
  • #1 of 1 in the county
  • 47 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Lake Lansing in Ingham County, Michigan has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 10.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Surface area: 453 acres.

Clarity
10.3 ft
Typical in September
66°F
Max depth
~47 ft est.
Area
453 acres
Type
Mesotrophic
Phosphorus
19 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
3.8 µg/L
Trend
Improving
Public access
Yes
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Free interactive depth-contour map of Lake Lansing, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 35 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.

Lake Lansing is a 453-acre mesotrophic lake in Ingham County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 47 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 1 sampling years through 2023. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-18. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Lake Lansing is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water10.3 ft of visibility

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited data

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Lake Lansing is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pFAS. Check local advisories before you swim.

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Grand Rapids

Get alerts for Lake Lansing

Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)

Good clarity, visible to about 10.3 ft. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.8 µg/L. TSI 45. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)10.3 ftNot graded
Phosphorus19 µg/LNot graded
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)3.8 µg/LGood
Trophic State Index (TSI)45Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Water Temperature

Lake Lansing typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 68°F) and coldest in May (about 56°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
56°
Jun
60°
Jul
66°
Aug
68°
Sep
66°
Oct
Nov
Dec

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 160 field readings (20222023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake Lansing water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~47 ft est.
Average Depth~8 ft est.
Surface Area453 acres
Public AccessYes

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 Lansing.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
Shoreline
3.9 mi
Elevation
846 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.

Fishing Lake Lansing

Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Phosphorus Improving-4 µg/L/yr2

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Lake Lansing is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Lansing Dam (completed 1975), built primarily for recreation on the Pine Lake Outlet; gravity-type dam, 7 ft tall and 93 ft long.

Surface area
453 ac
Normal storage
180 ac-ft
Max storage
360 ac-ft
Drainage area
3.7 sq mi
Hazard class
Low
Owner
Lake Lansing Property Owners

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI01957 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.48 km)

EPA Impairment Status

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

Causes of impairment

PFAS

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040500040504-02 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.61 km)

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

6 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Lake Lansing under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 4 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.

  • Haslett Ps MS4-Ingham
    Haslett · 1.4 mi away · NPDES MI0060253
    Recent violation
  • Meridian Twp MS4-Ingham
    Okemos · 2.5 mi away · NPDES MI0059774
    Recent violation
  • Okemos Ps MS4-Ingham
    Okemos · 3.9 mi away · NPDES MI0059955
    Recent violation
  • Msu MS4-Ingham
    Lansing · 4.7 mi away · NPDES MI0059342
    Recent violation
  • Meijer Inc
    Okemos · 3.5 mi away · NPDES MIG080802
  • Michigan State University
    East Lansing · 4.4 mi away · NPDES MIG610107

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.

County Ranking

Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Ingham County

Nearby Lakes in Ingham County

Frequently asked questions about Lake Lansing

Where is Lake Lansing?

Lake Lansing is a lake in Ingham County, Michigan. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Lake Lansing?

Lake Lansing in Ingham County, Michigan has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 10.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Surface area: 453 acres.

Is Lake Lansing safe to swim in?

The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Lake Lansing is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pFAS. Check local advisories before you swim.

What is the water temperature of Lake Lansing?

Lake Lansing typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 160 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Lake Lansing?

No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Lansing, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 47 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 453 acres.

Where this data comes from

20 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.

Collected and reported by

  • Michigan EGLE - MiCorps21MICH_MICORPS20 samples · 2022–2023

Analytical methods

  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)