Perch Lake
Iron County, Michigan1,046 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Perch Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 14 ft max depth
Perch Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 14 ft. Surface area: 1046.2 acres.
Perch Lake is a 1,046-acre mesotrophic lake in Iron County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 14 feet. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 20 other monitored lakes in Iron County, Perch Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-08-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Perch Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Big water1,046 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Perch Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Perch 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 Perch Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Perch Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft. Phosphorus 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.8 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 24µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Perch Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Perch Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 72°F) and coldest in May (about 56°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (56°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 40 field readings (2016–2016) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Perch Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
14 ft
Surface area
1,046 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Perch Lake
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Fishing Perch Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.52 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.31 µg/L/yr7 years
EPA Impairment Status
Perch Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040201040104-05 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Iron County
Frequently asked questions about Perch Lake
Where is Perch Lake?
- Perch Lake is a lake in Iron County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Perch Lake?
- Perch Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 14 ft. Surface area: 1046.2 acres.
Is Perch Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Perch Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Perch Lake?
- Perch Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September, from 40 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2016). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Perch Lake?
- Perch Lake has a maximum depth of 14 feet. The lake covers 1046.2 acres.
Explore Perch Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
145 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_MICORPS145 samples · 2016–2023
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