What is the water quality grade for Painter Lake?

Painter Lake in Cass County, Wisconsin received a water quality grade of D (Poor). Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility.

Is Painter Lake safe to swim in?

Swimming not recommended, poor water quality with high algae risk. Painter Lake has an overall water quality grade of D. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

Painter Lake

Cass County, WisconsinLimited DataEutrophic

Painter Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Cass County, MI. Water quality is graded D based on 1 sampling years through 2022. Compared to the 22 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Painter Lake ranks #21 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, local state DNR records, last sampled 2022-09-24. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Swimming Safety

Swimming not recommended, poor water quality with high algae risk

Water Quality Grade: D, Poor

Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft. Trophic State Index: 50.

Metric	Value	Grade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)	6.5 ft	D
Phosphorus	No data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)	No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)	50	Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #21 of 23 lakes in Cass County

Cleaner Lakes Within 30 Miles

Painter Lake holds Grade D. 4 nearby lakes hold higher grades.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in Cass County

Stone Lake Central Basin; Jefferson Township

Cass County

Birch Lake Central Basin; Porter Township

Long Lake South Central Basin

Cass County

Robbins Lake; Porter Township; Section 33

Cass County

More Wisconsin Lake Rankings

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Top 25 by overall water quality score

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Grade A/B + low algae filter

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Panfish-rich, public access

All Wisconsin lakes

Full state directory

Other Grade D Lakes in Wisconsin

Kimball Lake

Newaygo County · Clarity: 4.5 ft

Community College Pond

Chippewa County · Clarity: 1.5 ft

Little Beaver Lake

Alger County · Clarity: 6.2 ft

Van Etten Lake

Iosco County · Clarity: 5.5 ft

South Pond

Chippewa County · Clarity: 1.3 ft

East Bay Lake; Central Basin; Watersmeet Township

Gogebic County · Clarity: 4.5 ft

Eutrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Kimball Lake Van Etten Lake North Central Basin; Oscoda Township Community College Pond Pentwater Lake Northwest Basin; Pentwater Township

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

Mercury

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040500011403-05 · Official waterbody report

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Most recent sample: 2022-09-24

Monitoring stations: 1