Click on the lake name (below) to enter the USGS real-time data site.

Legal Limit Above Mean Sea Level			Court order		Datum
Lake	Summer Maximum	Winter Maximum
Houghton Lake
	1138.10	1137.60	3/19/1982	*	1130.00
Higgins Lake
	1154.11	1153.61	3/19/1982	*	1148.74
Lake St. Helen
	1155.25	1154.75	Rev. 5/5/1998	*	1149.01
*Winter level to commence on or about November 1 of each year and is restored to its legal level commencing on or about April 15, or ice-out, whichever shall first occur, in each year.
FORMULA: Current gage reading + Datum = Legal Mean Sea Level

 

Click the above link for the Michigan Cooperative Monitoring Program	Click the link above for the Michigan Lake and Stream Association
Houghton Lake Improvement Board  -  Click here

 

Understanding Higgins Lake Level Readings

Every fifteen minutes, a gauge located at Higgins Lake , reads the lake level and sends the data to a United States Geologic Survey office. 

These readings may be seen in their “real time” format at:
  http://mi.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv/?site_no=442805084411001&agency_cd=USGS

The site which shows the average numbers for these time frames is:
http://mi.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/dv/?site_no=442805084411001&agency_cd=USGS

The chart below translates USGS gauge numbers relative to summer and winter legal levels as well as to the sea level elevation. The summer legal level for Higgins Lake is 1154.11.  The winter legal level is set at 1153.61.  These levels were set by the Michigan Circuit Court in 1982.

 The dam at Higgins Lake is managed by the Roscommon County Board of Commissioners.  

	USGS Gauge Reading	Summer Level Relative to Court Ordered 1154.11           In inches	Winter Level Relative to Court Ordered 1531.61           In Inches	Sea Level Elevation  Decimal Feet	Sea Level Elevation   Feet             Inches
	5.51	1.68	7.68	1154.25	1154	3.00
	5.49	1.44	7.44	1154.23	1154	2.76
	5.47	1.20	7.20	1154.21	1154	2.52
	5.45	0.96	6.96	1154.19	1154	2.28
	5.43	0.72	6.72	1154.17	1154	2.04
	5.41	0.48	6.48	1154.15	1154	1.80
	5.39	0.24	6.24	1154.13	1154	1.56
Summer Legal Maximum	5.37	0.00	6.00	1154.11	1154	1.32
	5.35	-0.24	5.76	1154.09	1154	1.08
	5.33	-0.48	5.52	1154.07	1154	0.84
	5.31	-0.72	5.28	1154.05	1154	0.60
	5.29	-0.96	5.04	1154.03	1154	0.36
	5.27	-1.20	4.80	1154.01	1154	0.12
	5.25	-1.44	4.56	1153.99	1153	11.88
	5.23	-1.68	4.32	1153.97	1153	11.64
	5.21	-1.92	4.08	1153.95	1153	11.40
There is a 6 inch	5.19	-2.16	3.84	1153.93	1153	11.16
difference between	5.17	-2.40	3.60	1153.91	1153	10.92
summer and winter	5.15	-2.64	3.36	1153.89	1153	10.68
maximums	5.13	-2.88	3.12	1153.87	1153	10.44
	5.11	-3.12	2.88	1153.85	1153	10.20
	5.09	-3.36	2.64	1153.83	1153	9.96
	5.07	-3.60	2.40	1153.81	1153	9.72
	5.05	-3.84	2.16	1153.79	1153	9.48
	5.03	-4.08	1.92	1153.77	1153	9.24
	5.01	-4.32	1.68	1153.75	1153	9.00
	4.99	-4.56	1.44	1153.73	1153	8.76
	4.97	-4.80	1.20	1153.71	1153	8.52
	4.95	-5.04	0.96	1153.69	1153	8.28
	4.93	-5.28	0.72	1153.67	1153	8.04
	4.91	-5.52	0.48	1153.65	1153	7.80
	4.89	-5.76	0.24	1153.63	1153	7.56
Winter Legal Maximum	4.87	-6.00	0.00	1153.61	1153	7.32
	4.85	-6.24	-0.24	1153.59	1153	7.08
	4.83	-6.48	-0.48	1153.57	1153	6.84
	4.81	-6.72	-0.72	1153.55	1153	6.60
	4.79	-6.96	-0.96	1153.53	1153	6.36
	4.77	-7.20	-1.20	1153.51	1153	6.12
	4.75	-7.44	-1.44	1153.49	1153	5.88
	4.73	-7.68	-1.68	1153.47	1153	5.64
	4.71	-7.92	-1.92	1153.45	1153	5.40
	4.69	-8.16	-2.16	1153.43	1153	5.16
	4.67	-8.40	-2.40	1153.41	1153	4.92
	4.65	-8.64	-2.64	1153.39	1153	4.68