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LakeQuality

Archibald Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Townsend Flowage Lake. Both are in Oconto County, Wisconsin.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Archibald Lake and Townsend Flowage Lake are both in Wisconsin — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The readings are close: Archibald Lake and Townsend Flowage Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.

With readings this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.

Archibald Lake

Oconto County, Wisconsin

Crystal clear, you can see 17.8 ft down.

Townsend Flowage Lake

Oconto County, Wisconsin

No clarity data.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricArchibald LakeTownsend Flowage Lake
Water Clarity17.8 ftNo data
Phosphorus10.7 µg/L Better14.3 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth50 ft-
Surface Area392 acres476 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species4 Better0
Trophic Stateoligotrophicmesotrophic

A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.

Verdict

Archibald Lake and Townsend Flowage Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to what you want from the lake. Archibald Lake supports more documented fish species.

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Where to stay near Archibald Lake and Townsend Flowage Lake

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.