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Green Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Lake Puckaway. Both are in Green Lake County, Wisconsin.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Both Green Lake and Lake Puckaway sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are meaningfully apart: Green Lake carries clearly lower phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings than Lake Puckaway. A spread that wide reflects real underlying differences, in watershed inputs, depth profiles, or monitoring rigor.

For a recreational visitor, the wider gap in the readings is decisive: Green Lake has the lower nutrient and algae numbers. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?

Green Lake

Green Lake County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft.

Lake Puckaway

Green Lake County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricGreen LakeLake Puckaway
Water Clarity13.5 ft Better4.4 ft
Phosphorus38.1 µg/L Better52.1 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)4.4 µg/LNo data
Maximum Depth236 ft Better5 ft
Surface Area7,920 acres5,013 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species7 Better6
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

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

Green Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Lake Puckaway. Water clarity: 13.5 ft vs 4.4 ft. For fishing diversity, Green Lake also leads with 7 species.

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Where to stay near Green Lake and Lake Puckaway

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.