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Torch Lake is the name of two lakes and nearby communities in the U.S. state of Michigan. One is in Antrim County on the east side of Grand Traverse Bay. The other is in Houghton County on the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Antrim County
Torch Lake at 18 miles long is Michigan's longest lake and at approximately 18,770 acres (76 km²) is Michigan's second largest lake. It lies within several townships in Antrim County, including Torch Lake Township, Central Lake Township, Forest Home Township, Helena Township, and Milton Township. The lake is about 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Traverse City and is separated from both Grand Traverse Bay to the west and Elk Lake at the southwest end by a narrow strip of land. The lake is about two miles (3.2 km) wide and is centered at 45°59'N, 85°18'W. It has an maximum depth of 315 feet and an average depth of 111 feet. It is a popular lake for fishing, featuring lake trout, rock bass, yellow perch, small mouth bass, muskellunge, ciscoes, brown trout, rainbow trout, and whitefish.
Torch Lake is part of a watershed that begins in northern Antrim County with Intermediate Lake, which is connected by the Intermediate River with Lake Bellaire. The Grass River flows from Lake Bellaire into Clam Lake, which in turn drains into Torch Lake via the short Clam River. Torch Lake itself is drained by the Torch River, which flows into Lake Skegemog, which opens into Elk Lake. Elk Lake flows into the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay at Elk Rapids.
Houghton County
Torch Lake is approximately 2,700 acres (11 km²) lying mostly within Torch Lake Township also portions lie within Osceola Township and Schoolcraft Township. 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 Organization believes the contaminated sediments to be 70 feet thick in some areas, and surface sediments contain up to 2,000 parts per million (ppm) of copper.
The lake is about five miles (8km) east-northeast of Houghton and is approximately six miles (9.7 km) long and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide at 47°09' north latitude, 88°25' west longitude. A channel drains from the lake south into Torch Bay, which opens into Portage Lake
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