Oneal Lake
Emmet County, Michigan138 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Oneal Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 22 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Oneal Lake in Emmet County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.2 µg/L. Surface area: 138 acres.
Oneal Lake is a 138-acre lake in Emmet County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 22 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-02-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Oneal 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 Oneal Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Oneal Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.2 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 24µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.2µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Oneal Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~22 ft est.
Surface area
138 acres
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 Oneal Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
607 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.
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Fishing Oneal Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2018–2020). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+7 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Oneal Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the O'Neal Lake Dam (completed 1954), built primarily for recreation on the Big Sucker Creek; earth-type dam, 10 ft tall and 160 ft long.
- Surface area
- 138 ac
- Normal storage
- 500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,250 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 8.1 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MDNR Parks & Recreation
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00033 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Emmet County
Frequently asked questions about Oneal Lake
Where is Oneal Lake?
- Oneal Lake is a lake in Emmet County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Oneal Lake?
- Oneal Lake in Emmet County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.2 µg/L. Surface area: 138 acres.
Is Oneal Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Oneal Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Oneal Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 22 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 138 acres.
Can I fish at Oneal Lake?
- Public access to Oneal Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2018–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
LTBBWATR_WQX12 samples · 2018–2022
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 4500 P F ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry Automated Ascorbic Acid Method
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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)