Payne Lake
Barry County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Payne Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 43 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Payne Lake in Barry County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 43 ft.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Payne Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 43 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Payne Lake is a lake in Barry County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 43 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Payne Lake has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Payne Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Payne Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Deep water43 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Payne 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 Payne Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Payne Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| 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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Payne Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
43 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Payne LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Payne Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Payne Lake in Barry 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Payne Lake
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Fishing Payne Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 8 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving8 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Payne Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Gun Lake WwtpShelbyville · 3.8 mi away · NPDES MI0042501Recent violation
- Wds Ventures LlcMiddleville · 0.5 mi away · NPDES MIG080967
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Barry County
Frequently asked questions about Payne Lake
Where is Payne Lake?
- Payne Lake is a lake in Barry County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Payne Lake?
- Payne Lake in Barry County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 43 ft.
Is Payne Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Payne Lake?
- Payne Lake has a maximum depth of 43 feet.
Are there boat ramps on Payne Lake?
- Payne Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Payne Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Payne Lake?
- Payne Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Michigan's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Payne Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
61 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
NALMS61 samples · 2016–2022
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory