Little Portage Lake
Washtenaw County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Portage Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Little Portage Lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.5 µg/L.
Little Portage Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 1 documented fish species including Grass pickerel. Compared to the 7 other monitored lakes in Washtenaw County, Little Portage Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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What Little Portage Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Little Portage Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pesticides, pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Portage 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 Little Portage Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Little Portage Lake, 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 11 ft. Phosphorus 14.5 µg/L. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Little Portage Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Stays near Little Portage Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Little Portage Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 8 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving8 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.37 µg/L/yr7 years
EPA Impairment Status
Little Portage Lake 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: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040900050307-23 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Washtenaw County
Frequently asked questions about Little Portage Lake
Where is Little Portage Lake?
- Little Portage Lake is a lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Portage Lake?
- Little Portage Lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.5 µg/L.
Is Little Portage Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Little Portage Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pesticides, pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
What fish are in Little Portage Lake?
- Fish species found in Little Portage Lake include Grass pickerel. Little Portage Lake is located in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
Explore Little Portage Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
65 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS65 samples · 2016–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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