South Bar Lake
Leelanau County, Michigan78 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for South Bar Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 13 ft max depth
South Bar Lake in Leelanau County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 77.7 acres.
South Bar Lake is a 78-acre mesotrophic lake in Leelanau County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 13 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 11 other monitored lakes in Leelanau County, South Bar Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether South Bar 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 South Bar Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for South Bar Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.5 ft. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.8 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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 South Bar Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
13 ft
Surface area
78 acres
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Stays near South Bar Lake
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Fishing South Bar Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.95 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.71 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Leelanau County
Frequently asked questions about South Bar Lake
Where is South Bar Lake?
- South Bar Lake is a lake in Leelanau County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of South Bar Lake?
- South Bar Lake in Leelanau County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 77.7 acres.
Is South Bar Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is South Bar Lake?
- South Bar Lake has a maximum depth of 13 feet. The lake covers 77.7 acres.
Explore South Bar Lake across LakeQuality
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Planning a trip around Sleeping Bear Dunes?
South Bar Lake is about 8 miles from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Sleeping Bear Dunes →More lakes in Michigan
Other Lakes in Michigan
Mesotrophic Lakes in Michigan
Where this data comes from
156 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS156 samples · 2016–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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.