Starvation Lake
Kalkaska County, Michigan99 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Starvation Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 47 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Starvation Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 98.8 acres.
Starvation Lake is a 99-acre lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 47 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including Smallmouth bass, White sucker, and Yellow perch. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2019-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Starvation Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water21.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing3 species recorded
- Deep water47 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Starvation 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 Starvation Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Starvation 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 21.5 ft down. TSI 33.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 21.5ft | 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. | 33 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Starvation Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
47 ft
Surface area
99 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Starvation LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Starvation Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Starvation Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.02 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.09 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Kalkaska County
Frequently asked questions about Starvation Lake
Where is Starvation Lake?
- Starvation Lake is a lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Starvation Lake?
- Starvation Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 98.8 acres.
Is Starvation Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Starvation Lake?
- Starvation Lake has a maximum depth of 47 feet. The lake covers 98.8 acres.
What fish are in Starvation Lake?
- Fish species found in Starvation Lake include Smallmouth bass, White sucker, Yellow perch. Starvation Lake is located in Kalkaska County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Starvation Lake?
- Starvation Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Starvation Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Starvation Lake?
- Starvation 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.
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Where this data comes from
46 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
NALMS46 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory