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LakeQuality

Whitewood Lake

Livingston County, Michigan68 acresView mapDirections

B
Good

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

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

Whitewood Lake in Livingston County, Michigan has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 67.6 acres.

Clarity
10 ft
Max depth
50 ft
Area
68 acres
Type
Mesotrophic
Phosphorus
20 µg/L
Trend
Declining
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Watch Whitewood Lake’s letter

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Free interactive depth-contour map of Whitewood Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 50 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.

Whitewood Lake is a 68-acre mesotrophic lake in Livingston County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 50 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 1 documented fish species including Northern pike. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Livingston County, Whitewood Lake ranks #7 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-16. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Whitewood Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water10 ft of visibility
  • Deep water50 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Low algae

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. Whitewood 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 Whitewood Lake

Water Quality Grade: B (Good)

Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. TSI 46. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)10 ftNot graded
Phosphorus20 µg/LGood
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)46Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth50 ft
Surface Area68 acres

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
298 sq mi
Shoreline
1.8 mi
Elevation
853 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Fish Species

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

Fishing Whitewood 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

Whitewood 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

County Ranking

Ranked #7 of 9 lakes in Livingston County

Nearby Lakes in Livingston County

Frequently asked questions about Whitewood Lake

Where is Whitewood Lake?

Whitewood 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 Whitewood Lake?

Whitewood Lake in Livingston County, Michigan has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 67.6 acres.

Is Whitewood Lake safe to swim in?

The B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Whitewood 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 Whitewood Lake?

Whitewood Lake has a maximum depth of 50 feet. The lake covers 67.6 acres.

What fish are in Whitewood Lake?

Fish species found in Whitewood Lake include Northern pike. Whitewood Lake is located in Livingston County, Michigan.

Where this data comes from

109 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_MICORPS109 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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)