What is the water quality grade for Palmer Lake?

Palmer Lake in St. Joseph County, Wisconsin received a water quality grade of F (Very Poor). Water clarity: 3 ft visibility.

Is Palmer Lake safe to swim in?

Avoid swimming, very poor water quality, potential algae toxins. Palmer Lake has an overall water quality grade of F. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

Palmer Lake

St. Joseph County, WisconsinLimited DataEutrophic

Palmer Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in St. Joseph County, MI. Water quality is graded F based on 1 sampling years through 2022. Compared to the 12 other monitored lakes in St. Joseph County, Palmer Lake ranks #12 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, local state DNR records, last sampled 2022-09-16. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Swimming Safety

Avoid swimming, very poor water quality, potential algae toxins

Water Quality Grade: F, Very Poor

Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility. Trophic State Index: 61.

Metric	Value	Grade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)	3 ft	F
Phosphorus	No data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)	No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)	61	Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #12 of 13 lakes in St. Joseph County

Cleaner Lakes Within 30 Miles

Palmer Lake holds Grade F. 2 nearby lakes hold higher grades.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in St. Joseph County

Corey Lake

St. Joseph County

Corey Lake Southeastern Basin; Fabius Township

St. Joseph County

Klinger Lake Central Basin; White Pigeon Township Section 1

St. Joseph County

Fishers Lake North Central Basin; Park Township

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

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Other Grade F Lakes in Wisconsin

Crockery Lake Northeast Basin; Chester Township

Ottawa County · Clarity: 3 ft

Little Paw Paw Lake

Berrien County · Clarity: 3 ft

Little Paw Paw Lake West Central Basin; Coloma Township

Berrien County · Clarity: 3 ft

Thread Lake

Genesee County · Clarity: 1.8 ft

Perch Lake

Hillsdale County · Clarity: 3.3 ft

Perch Lake

Hillsdale County · Clarity: 3.3 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

Palmer 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 MI040500010404-03 · 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: 2022-09-16

Monitoring stations: 1