A red sun low over Slim Lake through wildfire haze, its reflection a column of orange on the water

Reservoirs in Michigan

66 of 3,392 graded Michigan lakes (2%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 28 carry a High or Significant hazard rating.

Reading the Michigan reservoir landscape

66 reservoirs in Michigan appear in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. That's a meaningful share — reservoir lakes carry their own ecology and access patterns distinct from natural lakes, including managed water levels, drawdowns timed to the dam's purpose, and shoreline mix dominated by structures built post-impoundment.

Recreation is the headline purpose for the largest share of Michigan's reservoirs — lakes where the dam exists explicitly to create surface water for fishing, boating, and adjacent shoreline development. Pool levels are typically maintained more stably than at flood-control or hydro reservoirs, which supports fixed-dock access, consistent boat ramps, and the kind of shoreline economy that natural-lake counterparts in the state share.

The USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID) catalogs every dam in the United States above a size threshold — typically 25 feet in height or 50 acre-feet in maximum storage, plus all dams classified as high-hazard regardless of size. The reservoir records below pull NID fields (year built, hazard class, maximum storage, surface area at normal pool, dam length, primary purpose) and pair them with water-quality data where the impoundment also appears in EPA's lake-monitoring inventory.

Why these Michigan reservoirs were built

Recreation

Other

Flood Risk Reduction

Fish and Wildlife Pond

Hydroelectric

Total reservoirs

27,728

Total surface acres

183,251

Normal storage (ac-ft)

High or Significant hazard

All 66 Michigan reservoirs (by surface area)

Reservoir	County	Grade	Surface area	Year built	Purpose	Hazard
Brevoort Lake	Mackinac	NR	4,314 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Lake Independence	Marquette	NR	2,071 ac	1913	Recreation	Low
Gull Lake	Kalamazoo	NR	2,050 ac	1920	Recreation	Low
Sanford Lake	Midland	NR	1,526 ac	1925	Recreation	High
Lake Bellaire	Antrim	NR	1,520 ac	1906	Recreation	High
Lake Lancer	Gladwin	NR	977 ac	1976	Recreation	High
Lancelot Lake	Gladwin	NR	977 ac	1976	Recreation	High
Lake James	Roscommon	NR	900 ac	1962	Recreation	High
Lake Templene	St. Joseph	NR	870 ac	1972	Recreation	Significant
Lake Isabella	Isabella	B	730 ac	1967	Recreation	High
Lake Orion	Oakland	NR	470 ac	1829	Other	Significant
Lakeville Lake	Oakland	NR	460 ac	1913	Other	Low
Lake Lansing	Ingham	A	453 ac	1975	Recreation	Low
Rogers Dam Pond	Mecosta	NR	449 ac	1906	Hydroelectric	High
Whitmore Lake	Livingston	NR	441 ac	1969	Recreation	Low
Townsend Lake	Oakland	NR	417 ac	1973	Recreation	Significant
Rainbow Pond	Oakland	NR	417 ac	1973	Recreation	Significant
Lobdell Lake	Genesee	NR	416 ac	1929	Recreation	Significant
Lake Ovid	Clinton	NR	413 ac	1974	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Portage Lake	Jackson	NR	400 ac	1957	Recreation	Low
Wormer Lake	Oakland	NR	370 ac	1915	Recreation	Significant
Mohawk Lake	Oakland	NR	370 ac	1915	Recreation	Significant
Canadian Lake	Mecosta	NR	361 ac	1965	Recreation	Significant
Avery Lake	Montmorency	NR	322 ac	1970	Recreation	Low
Lake Lapeer	Lapeer	NR	297 ac	1969	Recreation	Significant
Oxbow Lake	Oakland	NR	290 ac	1964	Recreation	High
Lake Diane	Hillsdale	D	290 ac	1966	Recreation	Significant
Cedar Island Lake	Oakland	NR	290 ac	1964	Recreation	High
Sugarloaf Lake	Washtenaw	A	280 ac	1956	Recreation	Significant
Sherwood Lake	Oakland	NR	260 ac	1957	Recreation	Significant
Lake Lancelot	Gladwin	NR	250 ac	1976	Recreation	Low
Lancelot Lake	Gladwin	NR	250 ac	1976	Recreation	Low
Lancelot Lake	Gladwin	A	250 ac	1976	Recreation	Low
Sawyer Lake	Dickinson	A	241 ac	—	Recreation	Low
Louis Lake	Dickinson	A	230 ac	—	Other	Low
Mary Lake	Dickinson	NR	230 ac	—	Other	Low
Mary Lake	Dickinson	A	230 ac	—	Other	Low
Louise Lake	Dickinson	NR	230 ac	—	Other	Low
Posey Lake	Lenawee	NR	150 ac	1955	Recreation	Low
Wakeley Lake	Crawford	NR	149 ac	1991	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Lake Louise	Oakland	NR	143 ac	1925	Recreation	High
Oneal Lake	Emmet	NR	138 ac	1954	Recreation	Low
Hermansville Lake	Menominee	NR	132 ac	1888	Recreation	Significant
Duncan Lake	Barry	A	130 ac	—	Other	Low
Lake Twenty (Aka	Gladwin	A	128 ac	1974	Recreation	Low
Little Lake Twenty	Gladwin	NR	128 ac	1974	Recreation	Low
Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	A	125 ac	1976	Recreation	Low
Perch Lake	Hillsdale	NR	125 ac	1976	Recreation	Low
Indianwood Lake	Oakland	NR	122 ac	1920	Recreation	Low
Barnes Lake	Lapeer	A	110 ac	1935	Recreation	Low
Shavehead Lake	Cass	NR	93 ac	1960	Recreation	Low
Tull Lake	Oakland	C	81 ac	—	Recreation	Low
Manitou Lake	Shiawassee	C	80 ac	1973	Recreation	Low
Thread Lake	Genesee	NR	80 ac	1973	Recreation	Significant
Hemmingway Lake	Lapeer	NR	65 ac	1912	Recreation	Low
Hemingway Lake	Lapeer	B	65 ac	1912	Recreation	Low
Lake Victoria	Clinton	NR	52 ac	1961	Recreation	Low
Victoria Lake	Clinton	NR	52 ac	1961	Recreation	Low
Indianwood Lake	Oakland	D	49 ac	1920	Recreation	Low
Brendel Lake	Oakland	NR	47 ac	1955	Recreation	High
Neva Lake	Oakland	NR	47 ac	1955	Recreation	High
Lake Neva	Oakland	NR	47 ac	1955	Recreation	High
Sand Lake	Lake	NR	35 ac	—	Recreation	Low
Glacier Lake	Washtenaw	A	15 ac	1968	Recreation	Low
Fawn Lake	Hillsdale	NR	15 ac	1972	Recreation	Low
Crystal Lake	Washtenaw	A	13 ac	—	—	Low

Frequently Asked Questions

How many reservoirs are in Michigan?

66 of 3,392 graded Michigan lakes (2%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 28 are rated High or Significant hazard, meaning failure would put downstream lives or property at substantial risk. The oldest matched dam dates to 1829.

What's the largest reservoir in Michigan?

The largest matched reservoir in Michigan is Brevoort Lake in Mackinac County at 4,314 acres of normal surface area, impounded by the Brevoort Lake Dam (completed 1938).

What's the difference between a reservoir and a natural lake?

A reservoir is a body of water impounded by a man-made dam — typically built for flood control, hydroelectric power, water supply, irrigation, or recreation. A natural lake formed without human intervention, usually from glacial scouring, volcanic activity, or river meandering. Reservoirs typically have shoreline that fluctuates with seasonal water level management, while natural lakes have more stable shorelines. The USACE National Inventory of Dams classifies every regulated dam in the United States, which is how we identify which LakeQuality lakes are actually reservoirs.

What does the hazard class mean?

USACE assigns each dam a hazard potential classification based on what would happen downstream if the dam failed — NOT how likely the dam is to fail. "Low" hazard means dam failure would cause no probable loss of life and only low economic loss. "Significant" means probable loss of life is unlikely but appreciable economic damage would occur. "High" means probable loss of life and significant economic damage. The classification is about consequence, not condition. Many High-hazard dams are perfectly safe; they're rated High because populated areas have grown downstream over time.

Where does this reservoir data come from?

Every reservoir record on this page is matched to the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all dams ≥25 ft tall or impounding ≥50 acre-feet, plus any dam that poses a Significant or High hazard regardless of size. The NID is published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and updated annually. Surface area, storage capacity, dam height, and hazard classification come directly from NID records.

Where to stay near Michigan reservoirs

Compare cabins, lodges, and vacation rentals near the largest reservoirs in Michigan — live availability and prices for boating, fishing, and lake trips.

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More on reservoirs and water quality

Are Reservoirs Cleaner Than Natural Lakes?

Dam-built reservoirs and natural lakes graded side by side on the same nutrient and algae measurements — the gap, the reasons behind it, and the exceptions.

Do Deeper Lakes Have Better Water Quality?

Surveyed maximum depth against A–F nutrient-and-algae grades: the pattern, the shallow lakes that still grade an A, and why land use beats bathymetry.

Lake Water Quality Grades Explained: What A–F Means

How lakes are graded A–F on nutrients and algae using EPA ecoregion condition classes, what each letter means in the water, and why an A is not a clearance.

Why Lakes Turn Green: Phosphorus and Nutrient Pollution

How phosphorus and nutrient runoff drive algae growth and turn lakes green, where the nutrients come from, and what it means for a lake's grade.

Data source

Reservoir data from the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all regulated dams. Dam attributes (height, year completed, storage capacity, hazard class) are matched to LakeQuality lakes by proximity and dam-name similarity. Some lakes may be reservoirs that aren't matched if the dam record uses a name substantially different from our lake name.