What are mesotrophic lakes in Michigan?

108 mesotrophic lakes in Michigan. Moderate nutrients, good water quality.

What does mesotrophic mean?

Moderate nutrients, good water quality.

Mesotrophic Lakes in Michigan

Most well-managed working lakes register as mesotrophic — the band that balances productivity with clarity. 108 lakes in Michigan sit in the mesotrophic band. About 10% are deep (50+ ft); the rest are shallower basins where watershed management keeps nutrients from pushing the system into eutrophy.

Mesotrophic lakes sit in the middle of the phosphorus and chlorophyll-a range: productive but still clear, with readings that rarely reach the EPA's poorest condition class.

#	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth	TSI
1	Bostwick Lake	Kent	8.8 ft	24 ft	45
2	Crystal Lake	Montcalm	10 ft	70 ft	39
3	Ore Lake	Livingston	9 ft	81 ft	45
4	Lake Twenty (Aka	Gladwin	8.5 ft	-	45
5	Louis Lake	Dickinson	13.5 ft	-	37
6	South Bar Lake	Leelanau	8.5 ft	13 ft	44
7	Duncan Lake	Barry	3.5 ft	55 ft	53
8	Iron Lake	Iron	9 ft	45 ft	40
9	Glacier Lake	Washtenaw	6 ft	-	44
10	Brooks Lake	Leelanau	9.5 ft	-	41
11	Indian Lake	Kalamazoo	9.5 ft	75 ft	41
12	Round Lake	Mecosta	9 ft	45 ft	47
13	Mecosta Lake	Mecosta	9.5 ft	39 ft	41
14	Perch Lake	Iron	6 ft	14 ft	49
15	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	14 ft	27 ft	39
16	Emerald Lake	Kent	11.5 ft	-	43
17	Lancelot Lake	Gladwin	9 ft	-	44
18	Sawyer Lake	Dickinson	7 ft	20 ft	43
19	Hanbury Lake	Dickinson	14 ft	-	39
20	Lake George	Clare	9.5 ft	25 ft	43
21	Barton Lake	Kalamazoo	8 ft	-	46
22	Christiana Lake	Cass	8 ft	40 ft	48
23	Big Pine Island Lake	Kent	9.3 ft	40 ft	45
24	Derby Lake	Montcalm	14 ft	87 ft	38
25	Horsehead Lake	Mecosta	9 ft	-	42
26	Duck Lake	Muskegon	11 ft	-	41
27	Muskellunge Lake	Kent	13.5 ft	-	40
28	Murray Lake	Kent	9 ft	-	42
29	Maston Lake	Kent	11.3 ft	-	40
30	North Lake	Washtenaw	12.5 ft	58 ft	42
31	Clear Lake	Jackson	10.5 ft	34 ft	41
32	Indian Lake	Osceola	18 ft	50 ft	37
33	Big Star Lake	Lake	9 ft	-	42
34	Devils Lake	Lenawee	11 ft	-	39
35	Little Maggie Lake	Iron	12.3 ft	-	43
36	Spider Lake	Grand Traverse	12 ft	-	39
37	Little Long Lake	Barry	13 ft	30 ft	39
38	School Section Lake	Mecosta	11.8 ft	33 ft	39
39	Tie Lake	Alger	13.5 ft	25 ft	40
40	Osterhout Lake	Allegan	9 ft	-	43
41	Dorner Lake	Manistee	8 ft	-	41
42	Timmerman Lake	Manistee	5 ft	31 ft	48
43	List Lake	Lake	5.5 ft	-	43
44	Elbow Lake	Lake	13 ft	30 ft	38
45	Sylvan Lake	Oakland	10.3 ft	-	43
46	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	13.5 ft	-	42
47	Big Bass Lake	Lake	14.5 ft	-	40
48	Rose Lake	Branch	10 ft	-	41
49	Little Bass Lake	Lake	18.3 ft	-	36
50	Gun Lake	Mason	14 ft	22 ft	38
51	Barnes Lake	Lapeer	14.5 ft	-	40
52	Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	9.5 ft	-	43
53	Little Platte Lake	Benzie	6.5 ft	8 ft	44
54	Perch Lake	Otsego	11.3 ft	-	40
55	Twin Lakes	Oakland	5 ft	-	51
56	Lake View	Benzie	18 ft	-	37
57	Templene Lake	St. Joseph	6 ft	-	48
58	High Lake	Kent	6.3 ft	-	44
59	Twin Lakes	Crawford	19 ft	-	37
60	Star Lake	Manistee	8 ft	-	43
61	Jewell Lake	Alcona	10.5 ft	30 ft	42
62	Lower Woodcock Lake	Benzie	12.3 ft	-	42
63	Loon Lake	Benzie	12 ft	-	38
64	Au Sable Lake	Ogemaw	10.5 ft	52 ft	41
65	Lake Lansing	Ingham	10.3 ft	-	45
66	Ransom Lake	Benzie	15 ft	-	38
67	Island Lake	Gladwin	16.5 ft	-	36
68	Spring Lake	Emmet	-	-	48
69	Hutchins Lake	Allegan	13 ft	-	41
70	Florence Lake	Leelanau	8.2 ft	-	46
71	Lake Isabella	Isabella	6.5 ft	-	47
72	Little Portage Lake	Washtenaw	11 ft	-	43
73	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	8.5 ft	25 ft	48
74	Lake Ahmik	Keweenaw	6.6 ft	-	47
75	Perrin Lake	St. Joseph	10 ft	-	40
76	Legion Lake	Alger	9.1 ft	35 ft	45
77	Miners Lake	Alger	6.3 ft	15 ft	47
78	Chapel Lake	Alger	7.9 ft	-	47
79	Grand Sable Lake	Alger	8 ft	85 ft	43
80	Tamarack Lake	Livingston	7 ft	34 ft	48
81	Sargent Lake	Keweenaw	10.5 ft	-	42
82	Whitewood Lake	Livingston	10 ft	50 ft	46
83	Lake Richie	Keweenaw	9.2 ft	-	45
84	Bass Lake	Leelanau	11.2 ft	-	40
85	Lake Harvey	Keweenaw	10.4 ft	-	42
86	Beaver Lake	Keweenaw	8.9 ft	-	43
87	Shell Lake	Leelanau	11.4 ft	12 ft	40
88	Feldtmann Lake	Keweenaw	7.5 ft	-	44
89	Manitou Lake	Leelanau	13.3 ft	-	41
90	Lake Desor	Keweenaw	7.2 ft	-	44
91	Wolf Lake	Lake	10.5 ft	-	40
92	Trapper'S Lake	Alger	7.7 ft	-	41
93	Lake George	Keweenaw	8 ft	-	42
94	West Bay Lake	Gogebic	7.5 ft	-	47
95	Record Lake	Gogebic	6.5 ft	-	46
96	Big Affrica Lake	Gogebic	5 ft	-	48
97	Winslow Lake	Iron	5.5 ft	25 ft	48
98	Cedar Is Lake	Oakland	10.8 ft	-	43
99	Pleasant Lake	Oakland	10 ft	-	46
100	Hemingway Lake	Lapeer	7 ft	-	48

All mesotrophic lakes →Minnesota version →Wisconsin version →Illinois version →Iowa version →Ohio version →Pennsylvania version →New York version →Missouri version →Indiana version →North Dakota version →South Dakota version →Florida version →Colorado version →North Carolina version →Vermont version →Texas version →Oregon version →Arkansas version →Oklahoma version →Kansas version →Nebraska version →Nevada version →Arizona version →Idaho version →Montana version →New Mexico version →Tennessee version →Alabama version →Virginia version →Kentucky version →Utah version →Washington version →Wyoming version →Georgia version →Massachusetts version →Ontario version →Québec version →Nova Scotia version →British Columbia version →Newfoundland and Labrador version →All Michigan lakes →

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.