Lac Courte Oreilles Lake vs Lake Chetac
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Lake Chetac. Both are in Sawyer County, Wisconsin.
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake and Lake Chetac 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 meaningfully apart: Lac Courte Oreilles Lake carries clearly lower phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings than Lake Chetac. 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: Lac Courte Oreilles 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?
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.2 ft.
Lake Chetac
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lac Courte Oreilles Lake | Lake Chetac |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 12.2 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L Better | 56.3 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.7 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 90 ft Better | 26 ft |
| Surface Area | 5,139 acres | 2,400 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 Better | 5 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | 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.
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Verdict
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Lake Chetac. For fishing diversity, Lac Courte Oreilles Lake also leads with 6 species.
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Where to stay near Lac Courte Oreilles Lake and Lake Chetac
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.