Rainbow Pond
Oakland County, Michigan417 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Rainbow Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
Rainbow Pond in Oakland County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 53 µg/L. Surface area: 417 acres.
Rainbow Pond is a 417-acre lake in Oakland County, Michigan. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including Fathead minnow, Golden shiner, and Western blacknose dace.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2018-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Rainbow Pond is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing3 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Rainbow Pond 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 Rainbow Pond
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Rainbow Pond, 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 3.5 ft. Phosphorus 53 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 53µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Rainbow Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
417 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Rainbow Pond, so its depth is not documented here.
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Stays near Rainbow Pond
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Rainbow Pond
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.09 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.6 µg/L/yr7 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Rainbow Pond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Waterford Multi-Lakes Level Control (completed 1973), built primarily for recreation on the Clinton River; earth-type dam, 12 ft tall and 300 ft long.
- Surface area
- 417 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,800 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 37 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Oakland County Drain Commissioner
All listed purposes: Recreation;Other.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00275 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.81 km)
Nearby Lakes in Oakland County
Frequently asked questions about Rainbow Pond
Where is Rainbow Pond?
- Rainbow Pond is a lake in Oakland County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Rainbow Pond?
- Rainbow Pond in Oakland County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 53 µg/L. Surface area: 417 acres.
Is Rainbow Pond safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What fish are in Rainbow Pond?
- Fish species found in Rainbow Pond include Fathead minnow, Golden shiner, Western blacknose dace. Rainbow Pond is located in Oakland County, Michigan.
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS8 samples · 2018
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.