Lily Lake
Clare County, Michigan191 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lily Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 8 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lily Lake in Clare County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 190.5 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Lily Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 8 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Lily Lake is a 191-acre lake in Clare County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 8 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lily Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lily Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lily Lake 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 Lily Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Lily Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8ft | 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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lily Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
8 ft
Surface area
191 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Lily LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Lily Lake
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Fishing Lily Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2019–2023).
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.57 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.8 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Lily Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040601020501-03 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Clare County
Frequently asked questions about Lily Lake
Where is Lily Lake?
- Lily Lake is a lake in Clare County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lily Lake?
- Lily Lake in Clare County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 190.5 acres.
Is Lily Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lily Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lily Lake?
- Lily Lake has a maximum depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 190.5 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lily Lake?
- Lily Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lily Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lily Lake?
- Lily Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.
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Where this data comes from
23 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS23 samples · 2019–2022
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory