Torch Lake is an approximately

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

lying mostly within Torch Lake Township with portions within

Osceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Vsse Yvholv in Muscogee language, Creek, also spelled Asi-yahola), named Billy Powell at birth, was an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfa ...

and Schoolcraft townships in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is fed by the Traprock River. The village of

Lake Linden Lake Linden is a village in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,020 at the 2020 census. The village is mostly within Schoolcraft Township, though a tiny portion lies in Torch Lake Township. History Lake Linden ...

at the north end of the lake was once the site of the largest copper milling operation in North America. About of copper mill

stamp sand Stamp sand is a coarse sand left over from the processing of ore in a stamp mill. In the United States, the most well-known deposits of stamp sand are in the Copper Country of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where it is black or dark gra ...

s were dumped into Torch Lake itself, filling about 20 percent of the lake's volume. The

Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations: * Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia * Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana) * Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) * Environmenta ...

believes the contaminated sediments to be thick in some areas, and surface sediments contain up to 2,000 parts per million (ppm) of copper. The lake is about east-northeast of Houghton and is approximately long and wide at . The lake has a total surface area of , and a maximum depth of . A channel drains from the lake south into

Torch Bay Torch Bay is a freshwater bay connecting Torch Lake with Portage Lake in Houghton County on the Keweenaw Peninsula, which juts into Lake Superior from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is lined by the unincorporated settlements of Dreamland ...

, which opens into Portage Lake.

External links

Torch Lake (Houghton County) Superfund Site information from the EPATorch Lake (Houghton County) Area of Concern information from the EPA

See also

External links

References

Further reading