Portage Lake
Livingston County, Michigan645 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Portage Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
- Limited data
Portage Lake in Livingston County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Surface area: 645.1 acres.
Portage Lake is a 645-acre lake in Livingston County, Michigan. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 1 documented fish species including Lake herring. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-06-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Portage Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Portage Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pesticides, pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Portage 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 Portage Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Portage 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 12.5 ft. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.5ft | 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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Portage Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
645 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
No bathymetric survey has been published for Portage Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Portage 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 Portage Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Portage Lake
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Fish Species
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Fishing Portage Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 9 years of monitoring (2016–2024).
Water clarity
Stable9 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.99 µg/L/yr7 years
EPA Impairment Status
Portage 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 MI040900050307-14 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Portage Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Mcpherson Oil CoPinckney · 2.7 mi away · NPDES MIG080973
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 Livingston County
Frequently asked questions about Portage Lake
Where is Portage Lake?
- Portage Lake is a lake in Livingston County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Portage Lake?
- Portage Lake in Livingston County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Surface area: 645.1 acres.
Is Portage Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Portage Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pesticides, pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
What fish are in Portage Lake?
- Fish species found in Portage Lake include Lake herring. Portage Lake is located in Livingston County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Portage Lake?
- Portage Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Portage Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Portage Lake?
- Portage 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 Portage Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
126 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS126 samples · 2016–2023
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory