Birch Lake Mill Pond

Cass County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

9ft Max
depth

7.7 acres 4 contours 42% weedy

Paddling Index75GoodMedium confidencesheltered geometry · away from major roads · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

05789

The lake

Survey readout

Birch Lake Mill Pond is mapped to a depth of 9 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 7.7 acres in Cass County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 9 ft
Mean depth: 3.9 ft · estimated
Surface area: 7.7 acres
Estimated volume: 30 acre-ft · 10M gal
Shoreline: 0.49 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 42% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details4 contours

Contour depths: 0–9 ft
Recorded point soundings: 9 ft, 8 ft

100% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Cass County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 32 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.

⚠ Not for navigation

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Map details & sources5 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 41.87206, -85.86237
MI DNR lake ID: L28564
Vertical exaggeration: 3.0×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 0.5 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21

75 / 100GoodData confidence: Medium

Birch Lake Mill Pond has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, well sheltered geometry, limited nearby major-road exposure. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	25.8 of 35	77% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (67% forest, 10% wetland; 11% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	29.4 of 29	mean fetch 209 m · 100% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	None identified	8.8 of 18	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public access	Not listed	—	No DNR-listed access site. Township, county and road-end launches are not in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Very Good	11.2 of 18	limited nearby major-road exposure · 18 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 462 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: High — narrow throughout — passing wakes would reach most of the water
Aquatic vegetation: High — approximately 42% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: Moderate — 67% forest and 10% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public environmental, access, roadway and watercraft-control data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights: natural setting 30%, geometric wind exposure 25%, watercraft controls 15%, public access 15%, road isolation 15%; observed motorboat activity is weighted 0% because no defensible lake-level measurement exists. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Sources: MI DNR Watercraft Control Areas (2026-08), USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2025) and MI DNR bathymetric survey outline (0 ft isobath). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Non-native species records

No non-native species recorded in the available dataset. This does not confirm that no non-native species are present.

Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying nonindigenous species records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campground≈1.3 mi

From OpenStreetMap community mapping — shown only where something is mapped; an amenity missing here may still exist. Distances are straight-line. Verify before you rely on it. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Elk Park Feed Store≈4.8 mi60559 Calvin Center RD, Vandalia · Google · Apple

Hall's Bait Shop≈6 mi15573 US 12, Union · Google · Apple

Clear H20 Tackle LLC≈8.5 mi69037 Christiana Lake Rd, Edwardsburg · Google · Apple

Dealers licensed by the Michigan DNR to sell live bait; listing is not an endorsement. Distances are straight-line, not driving — and call ahead: hours and stock change. Source: Michigan DNR retail bait dealer data.

Quick answers

Birch Lake Mill Pond — common questions

How deep is Birch Lake Mill Pond?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Birch Lake Mill Pond is 9 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Birch Lake Mill Pond?

Birch Lake Mill Pond covers about 7.7 acres in Cass County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Birch Lake Mill Pond?

The estimated mean depth of Birch Lake Mill Pond is 3.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Birch Lake Mill Pond?

No public launch for Birch Lake Mill Pond appears in the Michigan DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- municipal and private ramps are not in that source.

More lakes in Cass County