Watershed & Water Quality

Through active management and community stewardship, Mona Lake continues to thrive as a vibrant, productive, and enjoyable lake for all who use it.

The Mona Lake Watershed spans over 45,500 acres and covers 2,400 acres of lake and pond area. The majority of the Watershed lies within Muskegon County, with the exception of a small section of the northeast corner located in Newaygo County. It contains almost 23 miles of natural streams and creeks, with almost 40 miles of maintained drains. In the watershed, 23,600 acres is undeveloped consisting of forest, open fields, wetland, water, or dunes (roughly 52% of the watershed), 7,500 acres are used for agricultural development, and 14,500 acres are used for residential, commercial, and industrial use.

Mona Lake Watershed Council was formed in 2002 with the simple goal to improve water quality within the watershed. The largest and most recent project was to apply a three year Alum treatment to cap the bottom phosphorus from releasing into the water column. This proved to be a significant benefit to the quality of Mona Lake and preventing harmful algae blooms. MLWC continues to sample/monitor the lake each year.

More information can be found on the website www.monalakewatershed.org