Sand Lake
Lenawee County, Michigan545 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Sand Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 53 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Sand Lake in Lenawee County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 53 ft. Surface area: 545.1 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Sand Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 53 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Sand Lake is a 545-acre lake in Lenawee County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 53 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including Blacknose shiner, Bluegill, and Bluntnose minnow. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-10-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sand Lake covers about 550 acres in Lenawee County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Sand Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Sand Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.3 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing8 species recorded
- Deep water53 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sand Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sand 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 Sand Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Sand 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 13.3 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.3ft | 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. | 40 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Sand Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
53 ft
Surface area
545 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Sand 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 Sand Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sand Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2019–2023).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.29 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.17 µg/L/yr4 years
EPA Impairment Status
Sand 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 MI041000020106-02 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Sand Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Lenawee Cdc-Wamplers Lk WwslTipton · 1.6 mi away · NPDES MI0053988Recent violation
- Lenawee Cdc-Loch Erin WwtpOnsted · 3.8 mi away · NPDES MI0053848Recent violation
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 Lenawee County
Frequently asked questions about Sand Lake
Where is Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake is a lake in Lenawee County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake in Lenawee County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 53 ft. Surface area: 545.1 acres.
Is Sand Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sand Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake has a maximum depth of 53 feet. The lake covers 545.1 acres.
What fish are in Sand Lake?
- Fish species found in Sand Lake include Blacknose shiner, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Green sunfish, Iowa darter, Largemouth bass, White sucker, Yellow perch. Sand Lake is located in Lenawee County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sand Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sand Lake?
- Sand 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 Sand Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
29 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS29 samples · 2019–2022
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory