Sanford Lake
Midland County, Michigan1,526 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Sanford Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Dioxins
- 20 ft max depth
- Limited data
Sanford Lake in Midland County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 1526 acres.
Sanford Lake is a 1,526-acre lake in Midland County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 20 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 17 documented fish species including Black crappie, Blackside darter, and Bluegill.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2019-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Sanford Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing17 species recorded
- Big water1,526 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sanford Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for dioxins, mercury, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sanford 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 Sanford Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Sanford 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 5 ft. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 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. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Sanford Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
20 ft
Surface area
1,526 acres
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sanford Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2016–2019).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sanford Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sanford Dam (completed 1925), built primarily for recreation on the Tittawabassee River; concrete-type dam, 36 ft tall and 1,600 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,526 ac
- Normal storage
- 15,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 15,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,020 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Midland County
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00550 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Sanford 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 MI040802010408-03 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Midland County
Frequently asked questions about Sanford Lake
Where is Sanford Lake?
- Sanford Lake is a lake in Midland County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sanford Lake?
- Sanford Lake in Midland County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 1526 acres.
Is Sanford Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sanford Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for dioxins, mercury, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sanford Lake?
- Sanford Lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet. The lake covers 1526 acres.
What fish are in Sanford Lake?
- Fish species found in Sanford Lake include Black crappie, Blackside darter, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Central stoneroller, Common shiner, Creek chub, Golden shiner, Hornyhead chub, Johnny darter, Largemouth bass, Northern logperch, Pumpkinseed, Rock bass, Smallmouth bass, Spotfin shiner, Yellow perch. Sanford Lake is located in Midland County, Michigan.
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Where this data comes from
35 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS35 samples · 2016–2019
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