Mecosta Lake
Mecosta County, Michigan312 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Mecosta Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 39 ft max depth
Mecosta Lake in Mecosta County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 39 ft. Surface area: 311.7 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Mecosta Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 39 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Mecosta Lake is a 312-acre mesotrophic lake in Mecosta County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 39 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Mecosta County, Mecosta Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Mecosta Lake covers about 310 acres in Mecosta County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Mecosta Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Mecosta Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Deep water39 ft surveyed max depth
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 Mecosta 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 Mecosta Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Mecosta 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 9.5 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.3 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.3µg/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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Mecosta Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
39 ft
Surface area
312 acres
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Stays near Mecosta Lake
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Fishing Mecosta Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.01 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.23 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Mecosta County
Frequently asked questions about Mecosta Lake
Where is Mecosta Lake?
- Mecosta Lake is a lake in Mecosta County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Mecosta Lake?
- Mecosta Lake in Mecosta County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 39 ft. Surface area: 311.7 acres.
Is Mecosta Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Mecosta Lake?
- Mecosta Lake has a maximum depth of 39 feet. The lake covers 311.7 acres.
Explore Mecosta Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
134 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_MICORPS134 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.