Big Star Lake is a 912-acre lake located in southwestern Lake County, Michigan, within the Pere Marquette River watershed. It is the largest lake in Lake County. The geography surrounding the lake is hilly and forested, with predominantly sandy soils. The Lake has a coarse bottom sedimentation that provides exceptional water clarity (or transparency).

Big Star Lake has no inlet and is primarily fed by natural springs and rainwater/snowmelt runoff. The only outlet (lake level control) of the lake flows through a series of wetlands into Jenks Creek, a tributary of Danaher Creek, which is a tributary of the Upper Branch of the Pere Marquette River.

Big Star Lake is a shallow lake with a maximum depth of approximately 25 feet. During normal water levels, over 70% of the lake is shallower than 15 feet (Lake Depth Chart). Because it’s a relatively shallow lake, it has an abundance of aquatic vegetation.

The Big Star Lake Association (BSLA) is dedicated to preserving and safeguarding the water quality and health of Big Star Lake through several key initiatives. BSLA has partnered with a variety of organizations (e.g. Michigan DNR, USDA – Wildlife Services, Lake Township and 3rd party service providers) to support these initiatives:

• Monitoring and testing water quality.

• Invasive aquatic plant management.

• Nuisance geese management.

BSLA also provides educational information and helpful tips to the Big Star Lake community about being good stewards of the lake.