Townsend Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Townsend Lake is mapped to a depth of 55 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 24 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.
- Deepest sounding
- 55 ft
- Mean depth
- 22.7 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 24 acres
- Estimated volume
- 548 acre-ft · 179M gal
- Shoreline
- 1.99 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 9% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details9 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–55 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 55 ft, 38 ft
32.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 53.3% is deeper than 20 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.
- Coordinates
- 42.70800, -83.40059
- MI DNR lake ID
- L2507
- Vertical exaggeration
- 1.81×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.2 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Townsend Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, well sheltered geometry, substantial nearby higher-volume 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 | Mixed | 12.5 of 35 | 55% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (11% forest, 44% wetland; 37% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Excellent | 29.4 of 29 | mean fetch 283 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 | Modest | 2.2 of 18 | substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 99 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 34,492 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
- Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
- Aquatic vegetation
- Low — approximately 9% 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 — 11% forest and 44% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Non-native species records
1 recordOther invertebrates
- Freshwater Jellyfish
What does non-native mean?
USGS records identify non-native species that have been documented for this lake or its shoreline. Non-native does not necessarily mean invasive, and historical records do not confirm current presence.
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 distanceTownsend Lake — common questions
How deep is Townsend Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Townsend Lake is 55 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 Townsend Lake?
Townsend Lake covers about 24 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Townsend Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Townsend Lake is 22.7 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
Is there public access to Townsend Lake?
No public launch for Townsend 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.
