Painter Lake
Cass County, Michigan107 acresView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Painter Lake in Cass County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Surface area: 106.6 acres.
- Clarity
- 6.5 ft
- Area
- 107 acres
- Trend
- → Stable
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Watch Painter Lake’s letter
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Why Painter Lake has no grade
Painter Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Painter Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 6.5-foot median from 59 readings collected 2016–2022 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by EGLE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Painter Lake is a 107-acre lake in Cass County, Michigan. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-24. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Painter Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Painter Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft. TSI 50.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 6.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 50 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Surface Area | 107 acres |
No bathymetric survey has been published for Painter Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Fishing Painter Lake
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.275 m/yr | 6 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | +0.29 µg/L/yr | 5 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +0.9 µg/L/yr | 4 |
EPA Impairment Status
Painter Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040500011403-05 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near Painter Lake
Painter Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Painter Lake
Where is Painter Lake?
- Painter Lake is a lake in Cass County, Michigan. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Painter Lake?
- Painter Lake in Cass County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Surface area: 106.6 acres.
Is Painter Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Painter Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
59 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
NALMS59 samples · 2016–2022
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database