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LakeQuality

Tamarack Lake

Livingston County, Michigan19 acresView mapDirections

B
Good

Clarity, phosphorus, and algae sit in the clean band for this region.

↑ up from C at the last regrade

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
7 ft
Secchi · sampled 2023
Max depth
34 ft
Bathymetric survey
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Declining
9 years of samples
  • Mesotrophic
  • Impaired · Mercury
  • #6 of 9 in the county
  • 34 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Tamarack Lake in Livingston County, Michigan has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 18.9 acres.

Clarity
7 ft
Max depth
34 ft
Area
19 acres
Type
Mesotrophic
Phosphorus
20 µg/L
Trend
Declining
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Tamarack Lake is a 19-acre mesotrophic lake in Livingston County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 34 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2023. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 20 documented fish species including Black crappie, Blackside darter, and Bluegill. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Livingston County, Tamarack Lake ranks #6 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-14. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Tamarack Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Fishing20 species recorded
  • Deep water34 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited data

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

The B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Tamarack Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pesticides, pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.

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Get alerts for Tamarack Lake

Water Quality Grade: B (Good)

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. TSI 48. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)7 ftNot graded
Phosphorus20 µg/LGood
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)48Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth34 ft
Surface Area19 acres

Fish Species

Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.

Fishing Tamarack Lake

Based on 9 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Declining-0.19 m/yr9
Phosphorus Declining+1.24 µg/L/yr7
See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

Tamarack Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

MercuryPesticidesPFASPCBs

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040900050307-24 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1 km)

County Ranking

Ranked #6 of 9 lakes in Livingston County

Nearby Lakes in Livingston County

Frequently asked questions about Tamarack Lake

Where is Tamarack Lake?

Tamarack Lake is a lake in Livingston County, Michigan. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Tamarack Lake?

Tamarack Lake in Livingston County, Michigan has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 18.9 acres.

Is Tamarack Lake safe to swim in?

The B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Tamarack Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pesticides, pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Tamarack Lake?

Tamarack Lake has a maximum depth of 34 feet. The lake covers 18.9 acres.

What fish are in Tamarack Lake?

Fish species found in Tamarack Lake include Black crappie, Blackside darter, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Brook silverside, Golden redhorse, Greater redhorse, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, Mimic shiner, Northern logperch, Northern pike, Rainbow darter, Rock bass, Sand shiner, Smallmouth bass, Spottail shiner, Striped shiner, Western banded killifish, Yellow perch. Tamarack Lake is located in Livingston County, Michigan.

Where this data comes from

104 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.

Collected and reported by

  • Michigan EGLE - MiCorps21MICH_MICORPS104 samples · 2016–2023

Analytical methods

  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.

Other records on this page

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database