Sandbottom Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Sandbottom Lake is mapped to a depth of 14 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 21 acres in Kent County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.
- Deepest sounding
- 14 ft
- Mean depth
- 4.4 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 21 acres
- Estimated volume
- 93 acre-ft · 30M gal
- Shoreline
- 1.45 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 13% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Trophic state
- Mesotrophic · satellite estimate · details
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details3 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–14 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 14 ft, 14 ft
86.4% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; the survey shows 2 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.
Compare with another lakeProvenance
Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.
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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. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.
- Coordinates
- 43.18320, -85.38855
- MI DNR lake ID
- L22880
- Vertical exaggeration
- 3.0× below the waterline; land at true scale
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 1.2 MB
Lake productivity & trophic state
Satellite estimateSatellite-estimated classification: Mesotrophic. Moderate nutrient levels and biological productivity. Based on satellite estimates of summer chlorophyll-a (LAGOS-US LANDSAT, 2020). No lake-specific measurement is available in this dataset.
Trophic state describes how biologically productive a lake is, based on indicators such as nutrients, algae and water clarity. It is not a swimming-safety or overall water-quality rating.
What do the categories mean?
- Oligotrophic≤ 2 µg/L · lower nutrient and algae levels, often clearer water and lower biological productivity.
- Mesotrophic · this lake2–7 µg/L · moderate nutrient levels and biological productivity.
- Eutrophic7–30 µg/L · higher nutrient levels and biological productivity, often with more algae or aquatic plant growth.
- Hypereutrophic> 30 µg/L · very high nutrient levels and biological productivity, with a greater potential for heavy algae growth and low water clarity.
Bands are summer (June–August) mean chlorophyll-a, the green pigment in algae, at the EPA 2012 National Lakes Assessment thresholds. Trophic condition can change over time and by measurement method. Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; satellite chlorophyll-a estimates from LAGOS-US LANDSAT.
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-23Sandbottom Lake has a partly natural setting, well sheltered geometry, some nearby classified roads. 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 | Good | 19.2 of 35 | 66% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (49% forest, 8% wetland; 29% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Excellent | 29.4 of 29 | mean fetch 259 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 | Good | 8.7 of 18 | some nearby classified roads · 6 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 17,839 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
- Low — approximately 13% 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 — 49% forest and 8% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
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.
Bait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceSandbottom Lake — common questions
How deep is Sandbottom Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Sandbottom Lake is 14 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 Sandbottom Lake?
Sandbottom Lake covers about 21 acres in Kent County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Sandbottom Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Sandbottom Lake is 4.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
Is there public access to Sandbottom Lake?
No public launch for Sandbottom Lake 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.
