Portage Lake
Manistee County, Michigan2,115 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Portage Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Dioxins
- 60 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Portage Lake in Manistee County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 60 ft. Surface area: 2114.6 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Portage Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 60 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Portage Lake is a 2,115-acre lake in Manistee County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 60 feet. Overall water quality is improving 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 2022-09-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Portage Lake covers about 2,100 acres in Manistee County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Portage Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Portage Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Deep water60 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water2,115 acres
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 dioxins, 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 10 ft. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10ft | 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. | 44 | 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
Max depth
60 ft
Surface area
2,115 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Portage Lake North Pierhead LighthousePublic
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
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Portage Lake in Manistee 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 Portage Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Portage Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-6 µg/L/yr2 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.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040602000001-28 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Manistee County
Frequently asked questions about Portage Lake
Where is Portage Lake?
- Portage Lake is a lake in Manistee 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 Manistee County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 60 ft. Surface area: 2114.6 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 dioxins, mercury, pesticides, pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Portage Lake?
- Portage Lake has a maximum depth of 60 feet. The lake covers 2114.6 acres.
What fish are in Portage Lake?
- Fish species found in Portage Lake include Lake herring. Portage Lake is located in Manistee 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 North Pierhead Lighthouse. 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.
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS4 samples · 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory