Water elevation · USGS gauge 442656083202301 · updated August 29, 2026
Van Etten Lake Water LevelCWater-quality grade C
The USGS gauge at Van Etten Lake at Oscoda, MI last recorded a water elevation of 588.58 ft on August 29, 2026. In Iosco County, Michigan, Van Etten Lake carries an overall water-quality grade of C. Water clarity averages 6.0 feet of visibility. The water-quality samples behind that grade were submitted to the EPA Water Quality Portal by Michigan EGLE - MiCorps; the level above comes from the USGS, which runs the gauge.
Water elevation
588.58ft
feet above sea level
Gauge 442656083202301, Van Etten Lake at Oscoda, MI, operated by the U.S. Geological Survey. The value above is the most recent reading on file with its own timestamp. When the gauge answers, it is replaced by the current one — no estimate is ever shown in place of a missing reading.
What this number is
Water elevation is the height of the lake surface above sea level, as surveyed at Van Etten Lake at Oscoda, MI. It is the number reservoir operators publish, and it is comparable from one reading to the next at this lake. It is not the depth of the water.
- Measured as
- Water elevation, ft above sea level
- Most recent reading on file
- 588.58 ft · August 29, 2026
- Water quality
- CGrade C
No target level is shown here. Saying a lake is high or low needs a conservation pool or a seasonal rule curve to measure against, and the gauge reading alone does not carry one. The station page above holds the full record, including the last several days, which is what a single reading has to be read against.
Water quality at Van Etten Lake
Van Etten Lake grades C on total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity, measured against the EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes for its own ecoregion. Clarity averages 6.0 feet of visibility — shown, not scored.
The gauge measures how much water is in the lake. The grade measures what is in the water. A rise or a drawdown does not change the letter until the lake is sampled again.
Common questions
What is the water level at Van Etten Lake right now?
The most recent reading from the USGS gauge at Van Etten Lake at Oscoda, MI is a water elevation of 588.58 ft, taken on August 29, 2026. This page reloads that gauge every time it is opened, so the number above is the current one whenever the station is reporting. USGS lake gauges typically post a new value every 15 to 60 minutes.
What does water elevation mean?
Water elevation is the height of the lake surface above sea level, as surveyed at Van Etten Lake at Oscoda, MI. It is the number reservoir operators publish, and it is comparable from one reading to the next at this lake. It is not the depth of the water.
Is Van Etten Lake low?
That question needs a target pool level to answer, and the gauge reading alone does not supply one. Reservoir operators publish a conservation pool or a seasonal rule curve for the lakes they manage, and the USGS station page for gauge 442656083202301 carries the full record this reading came from, including the past several days. Comparing today against that record is the honest version of "low" — a single number is not.
Does the water level affect water quality at Van Etten Lake?
Van Etten Lake carries an overall water-quality grade of C. Lakes are graded A to F on nutrients and algae — total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity — measured against the EPA National Lakes Assessment 2022 condition classes for that lake's own ecoregion, so a lake is judged against the lakes it would naturally resemble. None of that comes from the gauge. A drawdown can concentrate nutrients and a heavy inflow can dilute them, but neither shows up in the grade until the water is sampled again. Treat the two numbers as separate measurements of the same lake.
Where these numbers come from
The level and temperature are U.S. Geological Survey instantaneous values from gauge 442656083202301, a public feed with no licence restriction. The water-quality grade is built from EPA Water Quality Portal samples submitted by Michigan EGLE - MiCorps. For advisories and standards in Michigan, EGLE is the authority — a gauge reading is neither.