Big Mckenzie Lake vs Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Mckenzie Lake and Long Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of B (Good). Both are in Washburn County, Wisconsin.
Both Big Mckenzie Lake and Long Lake sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Big Mckenzie Lake (B) versus Long Lake (B). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With grades 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.
Big Mckenzie Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft.
Long Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Mckenzie Lake | Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 10 ft | 9.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 16.7 µg/L | 17.3 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 71 ft | - |
| Surface Area | 1,129 acres | 3,290 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 7 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Big Mckenzie Lake: 10 ft, Long Lake: 9.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Big Mckenzie Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.