North Blue Lake
Kalkaska County, Michigan53 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for North Blue Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 78 ft max depth
- Limited data
North Blue Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 78 ft. Surface area: 53.4 acres.
North Blue Lake is a 53-acre lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 78 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including Bluntnose minnow, Iowa darter, and Lake herring.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2019-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What North Blue Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19 ft of visibility
- Fishing8 species recorded
- Deep water78 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether North Blue 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 North Blue Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for North Blue 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 19 ft down. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 19ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading 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 North Blue Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
78 ft
Surface area
53 acres
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing North Blue Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.36 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.03 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Kalkaska County
Frequently asked questions about North Blue Lake
Where is North Blue Lake?
- North Blue Lake is a lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of North Blue Lake?
- North Blue Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 78 ft. Surface area: 53.4 acres.
Is North Blue Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is North Blue Lake?
- North Blue Lake has a maximum depth of 78 feet. The lake covers 53.4 acres.
What fish are in North Blue Lake?
- Fish species found in North Blue Lake include Bluntnose minnow, Iowa darter, Lake herring, Lake trout, Largemouth bass, Rainbow trout, White sucker, Yellow perch. North Blue Lake is located in Kalkaska County, Michigan.
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Where this data comes from
24 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS24 samples · 2016–2019
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.