Butternut Lake vs Round Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Butternut Lake and Round Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Price County, Wisconsin.
Butternut Lake and Round 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. These two sit close on the readings, Butternut Lake versus Round Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Butternut Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft.
Round Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Butternut Lake | Round Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 4 ft | 4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 36.1 µg/L | 28 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 32 ft Better | 24 ft |
| Surface Area | 983 acres | 748 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 7 Better | 6 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
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.
Swap a lake
Compare Butternut Lake or Round Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Butternut Lake: 4 ft, Round Lake: 4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Butternut Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.