Nichols Lake
Newaygo County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Nichols Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 35 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Nichols Lake in Newaygo County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Nichols Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 50 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Nichols Lake is a lake in Newaygo County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 35 feet. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, and Green sunfish. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Nichols Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.7 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing7 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Nichols 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 Nichols Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Nichols 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 14.7 ft. Phosphorus 7 µg/L. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Nichols Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~35 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Michigan has not published bathymetry for Nichols Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
148 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
830 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- NIchols North Recreation AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Fish Species
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Fishing Nichols Lake
Nearby Lakes in Newaygo County
Frequently asked questions about Nichols Lake
Where is Nichols Lake?
- Nichols Lake is a lake in Newaygo County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Nichols Lake?
- Nichols Lake in Newaygo County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L.
Is Nichols Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Nichols Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Nichols Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 35 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
What fish are in Nichols Lake?
- Fish species found in Nichols Lake include Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Green sunfish, Iowa darter, Largemouth bass, Western banded killifish, Yellow perch. Nichols Lake is located in Newaygo County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Nichols Lake?
- Nichols Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include NIchols North Recreation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Nichols Lake?
- Nichols 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 Nichols Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
13 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS13 samples · 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory