Torch Lake is an approximately lake lying mostly within Torch Lake Township with portions within Osceola 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 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 sands were dumped into Torch Lake itself, filling about 20 percent of the lake's volume. The Environmental Protection Agency 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, which opens into Portage Lake.
See also
List of lakes in Michigan
External links
Torch Lake (Houghton County) Superfund Site information from the EPA
Torch Lake (Houghton County) Area of Concern information from the EPA
References
Further reading
Scott, I.D. (1921) Inland Lakes of Michigan Michigan Geological Society.