Papoose Lake
Kalkaska County, Michigan13 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Papoose Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Limited data
Papoose Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 22 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Surface area: 13.3 acres.
Papoose Lake is a 13-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including Blacknose shiner, Central mudminnow, and Golden shiner. Compared to the 12 other monitored lakes in Kalkaska County, Papoose Lake ranks #13 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Papoose Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water22 ft of visibility
- Fishing7 species recorded
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Papoose 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 Papoose Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Papoose Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 22 ft down. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 22ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Papoose Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
13 acres
The available depth estimate for Papoose Lake is shallower than its measured water clarity, which cannot be right, so no depth is shown.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Papoose Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 8 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving8 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.02 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.41 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Kalkaska County
Frequently asked questions about Papoose Lake
Where is Papoose Lake?
- Papoose Lake is a lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Papoose Lake?
- Papoose Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 22 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Surface area: 13.3 acres.
Is Papoose Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Papoose Lake?
- The available depth estimate for Papoose Lake is shallower than its measured water clarity, which cannot be right, so no depth is shown. The lake covers 13.3 acres.
What fish are in Papoose Lake?
- Fish species found in Papoose Lake include Blacknose shiner, Central mudminnow, Golden shiner, Iowa darter, Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, Yellow perch. Papoose Lake is located in Kalkaska County, Michigan.
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Where this data comes from
48 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS48 samples · 2016–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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.