Margrethe Lake
Crawford County, Michigan1,920 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Margrethe Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 65 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Margrethe Lake in Crawford County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 65 ft. Surface area: 1919.7 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Margrethe Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 65 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Margrethe Lake is a 1,920-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Crawford County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 65 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Crawford County, Margrethe Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Margrethe Lake covers about 1,900 acres in Crawford County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Margrethe Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Margrethe Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Deep water65 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,920 acres
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. Margrethe Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pFAS. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Margrethe 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 Margrethe Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Margrethe Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down. Phosphorus 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1 µg/L. TSI 34.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8µg/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. | 34 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Margrethe Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
65 ft
Surface area
1,920 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Lake Margrethe (South)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Margrethe Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Margrethe Lake in Crawford 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 Margrethe Lake
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Fishing Margrethe Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.35 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable0 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Margrethe 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 MI040601030104-04 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Margrethe Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Harrietta-Grayling Fish HatchGrayling · 4.5 mi away · NPDES MI0059209Recent 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 Crawford County
Frequently asked questions about Margrethe Lake
Where is Margrethe Lake?
- Margrethe Lake is a lake in Crawford County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Margrethe Lake?
- Margrethe Lake in Crawford County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 65 ft. Surface area: 1919.7 acres.
Is Margrethe Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Margrethe Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pFAS. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Margrethe Lake?
- Margrethe Lake has a maximum depth of 65 feet. The lake covers 1919.7 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Margrethe Lake?
- Margrethe Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Margrethe (South). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Margrethe Lake?
- Margrethe 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.
Explore Margrethe Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
84 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_MICORPS84 samples · 2016–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory