Second Fortune Lake
Iron County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Second Fortune Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 80 ft max depth
- Limited data
Second Fortune Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 80 ft.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Second Fortune Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 80 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Second Fortune Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Iron County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 80 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 20 other monitored lakes in Iron County, Second Fortune Lake ranks #19 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-10-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Second Fortune Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water21 ft of visibility
- Deep water80 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Second Fortune Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Second Fortune 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 Second Fortune Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Second Fortune Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 21 ft down. Phosphorus 7.5 µg/L. TSI 33.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 21ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 33 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Second Fortune Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
80 ft
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Stays near Second Fortune Lake
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Fishing Second Fortune Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 8 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving8 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.46 µg/L/yr7 years
EPA Impairment Status
Second Fortune 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 MI040301060407-08 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Iron County
Frequently asked questions about Second Fortune Lake
Where is Second Fortune Lake?
- Second Fortune Lake is a lake in Iron County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Second Fortune Lake?
- Second Fortune Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 80 ft.
Is Second Fortune Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Second Fortune Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Second Fortune Lake?
- Second Fortune Lake has a maximum depth of 80 feet.
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Where this data comes from
73 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS73 samples · 2017–2023
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.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database