Torch Lake (Houghton County, Michigan)

Torch Lake is an approximately 2700 acres 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 200 e6ST 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 70 ft thick in some areas, and surface sediments contain up to 2,000 parts per million (ppm) of copper.

The lake is about 5 mi east-northeast of Houghton and is approximately 6 mi long and 1+1/2 mi wide at 47.15°N, -88.41667°W. The lake has a total surface area of 2659 acre, and a maximum depth of 120 ft. A channel drains from the lake south into Torch Bay, which opens into Portage Lake.