Oxbow Lake
Oakland County, Michigan290 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Oxbow Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 72 ft max depth
- Limited data
Oxbow Lake in Oakland County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 72 ft. Surface area: 290 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Oxbow Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 72 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Oxbow Lake is a 290-acre lake in Oakland County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 72 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 1 documented fish species including Lake herring.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Oxbow Lake covers about 290 acres in Oakland County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Oxbow Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Oxbow Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.3 ft of visibility
- Deep water72 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 Oxbow 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 Oxbow Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Oxbow 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 14.3 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.3ft | 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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Oxbow Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
72 ft
Surface area
290 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Oxbow Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Oxbow Lake in Oakland 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 Oxbow Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Oxbow Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.13 µg/L/yr7 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Oxbow Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Oxbow Dam (completed 1964), built primarily for recreation on the Huron River; earth-type dam, 15 ft tall and 255 ft long.
- Surface area
- 290 ac
- Normal storage
- 6,900 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,100 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 25.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Oakland County Drain Commissioner
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00263 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Oxbow Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Oakland Co Dfw-Sub Knolls WwtpHighland · 1 mi away · NPDES MI0023728Recent violation
- White Lake TownshipWhite Lake · 1.6 mi away · NPDES MIG610278
- Mcpherson Oil Co.-HighlandHighland · 4.9 mi away · NPDES MIG080410
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 Oakland County
Frequently asked questions about Oxbow Lake
Where is Oxbow Lake?
- Oxbow Lake is a lake in Oakland County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Oxbow Lake?
- Oxbow Lake in Oakland County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 72 ft. Surface area: 290 acres.
Is Oxbow Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Oxbow Lake?
- Oxbow Lake has a maximum depth of 72 feet. The lake covers 290 acres.
What fish are in Oxbow Lake?
- Fish species found in Oxbow Lake include Lake herring. Oxbow Lake is located in Oakland County, Michigan.
Explore Oxbow Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
52 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS52 samples · 2016–2022
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)