Torch Lake (Houghton County, Michigan)
Encyclopedia
Torch Lake is approximately 2,700 acres (11 km²) lying mostly within Torch Lake Township
and having portions within Osceola Township
and Schoolcraft Township
. The lake
is fed by the Traprock River.
The village of Lake Linden
at the north end of the lake was once the site of the largest copper milling operation in North America. About 200 million tons of copper mill stamp sands were dumped into Torch Lake itself, filling about 20 percent of the lake's volume. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
believes the contaminated sediments to be 70 feet (21 m) thick in some areas, and surface sediments contain up to 2,000 parts per million (ppm) of copper.
The lake is about five miles (8 km) east-northeast of Houghton
and is approximately six miles (9.7 km) long and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide at 47°09′N 88°25′W. The lake has a total surface area of 2659 acres (11 km²), and a maximum depth of 120 feet (37 m). A channel drains from the lake south into Torch Bay
, which opens into Portage Lake.
Torch Lake Township, Houghton County, Michigan
Torch Lake Township is a civil township of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 1,860.-Communities:...
and having portions within Osceola Township
Osceola Township, Houghton County, Michigan
Osceola Township is a civil township of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,908 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...
and Schoolcraft Township
Schoolcraft Township, Houghton County, Michigan
Schoolcraft Township is a civil township of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township had a population of 1,863. The township was organized in 1866.-Communities:...
. The lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
is fed by the Traprock River.
The village of Lake Linden
Lake Linden, Michigan
Lake Linden is a village in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,081 at the 2000 census. The village is mostly within Schoolcraft Township, though a tiny portion lies in Torch Lake Township.-History:...
at the north end of the lake was once the site of the largest copper milling operation in North America. About 200 million tons of copper mill stamp sands were dumped into Torch Lake itself, filling about 20 percent of the lake's volume. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
believes the contaminated sediments to be 70 feet (21 m) thick in some areas, and surface sediments contain up to 2,000 parts per million (ppm) of copper.
The lake is about five miles (8 km) east-northeast of Houghton
Houghton, Michigan
Houghton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,708. It is the county seat of Houghton County...
and is approximately six miles (9.7 km) long and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide at 47°09′N 88°25′W. The lake has a total surface area of 2659 acres (11 km²), and a maximum depth of 120 feet (37 m). A channel drains from the lake south into Torch Bay
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...
, which opens into Portage Lake.