Watershed Summary 

The Portage Lake watershed is located in the northwest portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula in Manistee County and encompasses portions of Bear Lake, Brown, Manistee, and Onekama Townships as well as the Village of Onekama. The watershed is approximately 24.6 square miles, or 15,777 acres. Portage Lake's surface area is 2,116 acres and comprises 13.4 percent of the total surface area of the watershed. It is a natural lake formed by glaciers with maximum depths in two areas of up to 60 feet and a mean depth of 19 feet. The Portage Lake Watershed Forever Plan is truly a community-driven effort, as evidenced by the numerous and diverse stakeholders that have been engaged throughout the three-year process. The process began in 2006, when more than 50 individuals, organizations, agencies, and businesses signed the Portage Lake Watershed Forever Partnership Agreement. 

MDEQ Nonpoint Source Links 

• Watershed Management Plan (4,712 KB PDF) 

Watershed Websites 

• Portage Lake Watershed Forever 

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