Worm Lake
Baraga County, Michigan640 acresView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from EGLE for this lake.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
Worm Lake in Baraga County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Surface area: 640 acres.
Water clarity at Worm Lake
Moderate clarity. Across summers from 2018 to 2023, Worm Lake averaged 1.53 m (5 ft) of visibility down into the water, so visibility is middling in midsummer, which is ordinary for a productive inland lake. This lake sits close to the line between clarity classes, so treat the label as approximate and the depth reading as the real number.
Nobody has taken a water sample here that we can find. Michigan's environmental agency measures clarity on lakes like this one from satellite images instead, which is why this page reports how clear the water is and no phosphorus or algae readings.
Clear is not the same as clean. A lake can be easy to see through and still carry high nutrient levels, and a naturally tea-stained lake can be perfectly healthy. The nutrient and algae readings on other lakes come from phosphorus and chlorophyll-a measured in a laboratory, and clarity alone cannot stand in for them.
The same satellite images put summer algae here at roughly 6.32 micrograms per litre. Estimating algae from orbit is far less exact than measuring clarity, so that figure is worth knowing and is not part of any rating.
Worm Lake is a 640-acre lake in Baraga County, Michigan. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Worm Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingNot rated
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Worm Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Worm 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 Worm Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Worm Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. TSI undefined.
Ask about Worm Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Average depth
Not documented
Surface area
640 acres
Shoreline
1.2 mi
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
The published depth figures for Worm Lake contradict each other, so no depth is shown.
Recreation & Access
- Worm LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Worm Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Worm Lake in Baraga County, Michigan — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Worm Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Michigan’s top lakes →
Follow Worm Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Worm Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Worm Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040201040102-02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Baraga County
Frequently asked questions about Worm Lake
Where is Worm Lake?
- Worm Lake is a lake in Baraga County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Worm Lake?
- Worm Lake in Baraga County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Surface area: 640 acres.
Is Worm Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Worm Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Worm Lake?
- The published depth figures for Worm Lake contradict each other, so no depth is shown. The lake covers 640 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Worm Lake?
- Worm Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Worm Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Worm Lake?
- Worm 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.
Explore Worm Lake across LakeQuality
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Michigan
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Top lakes and where to stay in the Upper Peninsula area
Where to stay at Michigan's top lakes, each with its readings
Michigan's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Michigan
Other Lakes in Michigan
Where this data comes from
Measurements for Worm Lake come from the EPA Water Quality Portal. Per-sample source details are not recorded for this lake.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory