Big Mckenzie Lake vs Middle Mckenzie Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Mckenzie Lake and Middle Mckenzie Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of B (Good). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Big Mckenzie Lake and Middle Mckenzie 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 Middle Mckenzie 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.
Middle Mckenzie Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Mckenzie Lake | Middle Mckenzie Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 10 ft | 20 ft |
| Phosphorus | 16.7 µg/L | 12.4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 71 ft | 45 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,129 acres | 527 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 7 | 5 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
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, Middle Mckenzie Lake: 20 ft) and what you want from the lake. Big Mckenzie Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.