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Whitefish Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Saint Croix Flowage Lake. Both are in Douglas County, Wisconsin.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Saint Croix Flowage Lake and Whitefish 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. The readings are close: Saint Croix Flowage Lake and Whitefish Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.

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.

Saint Croix Flowage Lake

Douglas County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft.

Whitefish Lake

Douglas County, Wisconsin

Crystal clear, you can see 25 ft down.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricSaint Croix Flowage LakeWhitefish Lake
Water Clarity10.5 ft25 ft Better
Phosphorus23.8 µg/L11 µg/L Better
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth-102 ft
Surface Area1,913 acres848 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species05 Better
Trophic Statemesotrophicoligotrophic

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

Saint Croix Flowage Lake and Whitefish Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Saint Croix Flowage Lake: 10.5 ft, Whitefish Lake: 25 ft) and what you want from the lake. Saint Croix Flowage Lake has fewer fish species than Whitefish Lake.

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Where to stay near Saint Croix Flowage Lake and Whitefish Lake

Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Saint Croix Flowage Lake and Whitefish Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.