Lake Templene
St. Joseph County, Michigan870 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Templene. Here is what has been measured.
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Templene in St. Joseph County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Surface area: 870 acres.
Lake Templene is a 870-acre lake in St. Joseph County, Michigan. 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 2022-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Templene covers about 870 acres in St. Joseph County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Templene on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Templene 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 Templene
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Lake Templene, 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. TSI 50.
| 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 | 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. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Templene
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
870 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Templene, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Templene
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Templene in St. Joseph 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 Templene
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Follow Lake Templene’s readings
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Fishing Lake Templene
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-6 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+5.9 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Templene is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Templene Dam (completed 1972), built primarily for recreation on the Prairie River; earth-type dam, 18 ft tall and 850 ft long.
- Surface area
- 870 ac
- Normal storage
- 5,225 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 8,550 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 111 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Lake Templene POA
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00470 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Lake Templene under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Lear Corp-MendonMendon · 3.5 mi away · NPDES MI0004006
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 St. Joseph County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Templene
Where is Lake Templene?
- Lake Templene is a lake in St. Joseph County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Templene?
- Lake Templene in St. Joseph County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Surface area: 870 acres.
Is Lake Templene safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Lake Templene?
- Public access to Lake Templene 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 Templene across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
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Fish species and best lakes in St. Joseph County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
17 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS17 samples · 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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)