Palmer Lake
St. Joseph County, Michigan497 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Palmer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · PFAS
- 40 ft max depth
- Limited data
Palmer Lake in St. Joseph County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 21 µg/L. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 497.3 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Palmer Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 40 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Palmer Lake is a 497-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in St. Joseph County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 40 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 7 other monitored lakes in St. Joseph County, Palmer Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Palmer Lake covers about 500 acres in St. Joseph County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Palmer Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Palmer Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Deep water40 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Palmer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Palmer 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 Palmer Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Palmer Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 21 µg/L. TSI 58.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 19µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 21µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 58 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Palmer Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Palmer Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 85°F) and coldest in Apr (about 50°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (50°F) to its warmest (85°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 29 field readings (2010–2017) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Palmer Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
40 ft
Surface area
497 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Palmer Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Palmer Lake in St. Joseph 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Palmer Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Palmer Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Michigan’s top lakes →
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Fishing Palmer Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2017–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.17 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.03 µg/L/yr2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Palmer Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040500010404-02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Joseph County
Frequently asked questions about Palmer Lake
Where is Palmer Lake?
- Palmer Lake is a lake in St. Joseph County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Palmer Lake?
- Palmer Lake in St. Joseph County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 21 µg/L. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 497.3 acres.
Is Palmer Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Palmer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Palmer Lake?
- Palmer Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in August, from 29 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2017). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Palmer Lake?
- Palmer Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet. The lake covers 497.3 acres.
Explore Palmer Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
37 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS37 samples · 2022–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database