Lake Orion
Oakland County, Michigan470 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Orion. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 80 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Orion in Oakland County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 80 ft. Surface area: 470 acres.
Lake Orion is a 470-acre lake in Oakland County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 80 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Orion covers about 470 acres in Oakland County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Lake Orion on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Lake Orion is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13 ft of visibility
- Deep water80 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Orion is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), pesticides, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Orion 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 Orion
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Lake Orion, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13ft | 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. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Orion
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
80 ft
Surface area
470 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Orion
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Fishing Lake Orion
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Stable7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.3 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.01 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Orion is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Orion Dam (completed 1829), built primarily for other on the Paint Creek; gravity-type dam, 18 ft tall and 760 ft long.
- Surface area
- 470 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,800 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,600 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 37 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Village of Lake Orion
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00259 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Orion is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040900030105-02 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Lake Orion under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Lake Orion Ps MS4-OaklandLake Orion · 2 mi away · NPDES MI0059903Recent violation
- Orion Twp MS4-OaklandLake Orion · 2.3 mi away · NPDES MI0060156Recent violation
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.
Nearby Lakes in Oakland County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Orion
Where is Lake Orion?
- Lake Orion is a lake in Oakland County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Orion?
- Lake Orion in Oakland County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 80 ft. Surface area: 470 acres.
Is Lake Orion safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Orion is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), pesticides, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Orion?
- Lake Orion has a maximum depth of 80 feet. The lake covers 470 acres.
Can I fish at Lake Orion?
- Public access to Lake Orion is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.
Explore Lake Orion across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
90 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
NALMS90 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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)