Little Bitterroot Lake Center
Flathead County, MontanaView mapDirections
Montana DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Bitterroot Lake Center. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
Little Bitterroot Lake Center in Flathead County, Montana has water-quality measurements published by Montana DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1 µg/L.
Little Bitterroot Lake Center is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Flathead County, Montana. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Flathead County, Little Bitterroot Lake Center ranks #16 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Montana DEQ, last sampled 2025-08-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Bitterroot Lake Center is safe to swim in today is a call for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Little Bitterroot Lake Center
These are the measurements Montana DEQ publishes for Little Bitterroot Lake Center, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1 µg/L. TSI 27.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 4µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 27 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Little Bitterroot Lake Center
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Fishing Little Bitterroot Lake Center
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 14 years of monitoring (2012–2025).
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.01 µg/L/yr14 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.06 µg/L/yr14 years
Nearby Lakes in Flathead County
Frequently asked questions about Little Bitterroot Lake Center
Where is Little Bitterroot Lake Center?
- Little Bitterroot Lake Center is a lake in Flathead County, Montana. Its water-quality measurements are published by Montana DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Bitterroot Lake Center?
- Little Bitterroot Lake Center in Flathead County, Montana has water-quality measurements published by Montana DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1 µg/L.
Is Little Bitterroot Lake Center safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Little Bitterroot Lake Center across LakeQuality
More lakes in Montana
Other Lakes in Montana
Oligotrophic Lakes in Montana
Where this data comes from
36 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Montana Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring
MTVOLWQM_WQX36 samples · 2019–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 4500 N C ~ Persufate Method for Total Nitrogen
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.