The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) was created in 2004 through Michigan Executive Order #2003-15 to assist the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs. MiCorps is comprised of three core programs: the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program (VSMP), the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP), and the Volunteer Stream Cleanup Program.
The CLMP, although currently part of MiCorps has been a Michigan inland lakes volunteer monitoring program for over 40 years, which makes it the second oldest volunteer lake monitoring program in the country. The primary purpose of this cooperative program is to help Citizen Volunteers monitor indicators of water quality in their lake and document changes in lake quality over time.
Three Lakes Association began collecting data on Clam Lake in 1976, Lake Bellaire in 1977, and Torch Lake in 2004. Today, we routinely monitor water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll in all three lakes. If you would like to participate in this effort from May to October please contact us.
Training for lake monitoring happens annually. Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council offers trainings, and there are great supplemental resources on the MiCorps website.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the State of Michigan zeroed funding for CLMP in 2020. Rather than suspend our monitoring as many other lakes did, TLA had the good fortune of an alternative. We could do our monitoring under the direction of Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council with minimal interruption of our monitoring activities. MiCorps advises Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council to administer volunteer monitoring programs that are compatible with CLMP protocols.
Soon the Michigan Clean Water Corps CLMP website will give you access to all of our current and historical data. Until their database is reconstructed, the best place for that information is right here.
2019 Reports
Lake Bellaire
Clam Lake
Torch Lake – North
Torch Lake – South
2018 Reports
Lake Bellaire
Clam Lake
Torch Lake – North
Torch Lake – South
2017 Reports
Lake Bellaire
Clam Lake
Torch Lake – North
Torch Lake – South
2016 Reports
Lake Bellaire
Clam Lake
Torch Lake – North
Torch Lake – South
2015 Reports
Lake Bellaire
Clam Lake
Torch Lake – North
Torch Lake – South
2014 Reports
2014 Lake Bellaire
2014 Clam Lake
2014 Torch Lake – North
2014 Torch Lake – South