Barron County Lake Quality

Wisconsin, 38 lakes, average grade B (Good)

Barron County's 38 graded lakes fall in the moderate-density bracket for Wisconsin. The county-level average smooths over real differences — a single agricultural watershed near the southwest corner can pull the average down even if the rest of the county runs clean. With an average grade of B, Barron County sits comfortably above the Wisconsin median.

Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. Silver Lake (A) is the cleanest in the county.

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Quick Answers for Barron County

Cleanest lakes in Barron County →Cleanest lakes in Wisconsin →Safest swimming lakes in Wisconsin →

Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Silver Lake, whether the fish are safe to eat, and the best times to fish — or browse the full Wisconsin regulations index.

DNR Reports (16)

Wisconsin DNR Fisheries Survey resources for lakes in Barron County. Showing 12 most recent — browse all reports →

2024
Lake Montanis fishery survey, 2024
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR · 2024 (PDF)
2024
Poskin Lake fishery survey, 2024
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR · 2024 (PDF)
2023
Red Cedar Chain of Lakes fisheries survey, 2023
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR · 2023 (PDF)
2022
Bear Lake fisheries survey, 2022
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR · 2022 (PDF)
2022
Rice Lake spring shocking survey, 2022
Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2022 (PDF)
2021
Big Moon Lake comprehensive survey, 2021
Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2021 (PDF)
2021
Lower Turtle Lake comprehensive survey, 2021
Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2021 (PDF)
2021
Upper Turtle Lake comprehensive survey, 2021
Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2021 (PDF)
2019
Duck Lake fisheries survey, 2019
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR · 2019 (PDF)
2019
Granite Lake comprehensive survey, 2019
Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2019 (PDF)
2017
Silver Lake fishery assessment, 2017
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR · 2017 (PDF)
2014
Bear Lake comprehensive fisheries survey, 2014
Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2014 (PDF)

All Lakes in Barron County

Rank	Lake	Grade	Clarity	Max Depth	Phosphorus
1	Silver Lake	A	42.7 ft	91 ft	12.5 µg/L
2	Bass Lake	A	32.8 ft	-	17 µg/L
3	Bass Lake	A	36.1 ft	39 ft	-
4	Bear Lake	A	20.5 ft	87 ft	17.5 µg/L
5	Horseshoe Lake	A	25 ft	19 ft	19.2 µg/L
6	Loon Lake	A	29.5 ft	26 ft	18.6 µg/L
7	Red Cedar Lake	A	32.8 ft	53 ft	17.4 µg/L
8	Echo Lake	A	41.8 ft	41 ft	14.8 µg/L
9	Big Dummy Lake	A	39.4 ft	54 ft	16.4 µg/L
10	Beaver Dam Lake	A	37.7 ft	106 ft	13 µg/L
11	Lower Vermillion Lake	A	29.5 ft	55 ft	17.4 µg/L
12	Granite Lake South Basin	A	19.7 ft	34 ft	-
13	Little Dummy Lake	A	36.1 ft	44 ft	14.8 µg/L
14	Lake Thirty	A	15.8 ft	27 ft	19.4 µg/L
15	Kirby Lake	A	26.2 ft	19 ft	24.4 µg/L
16	Big Moon Lake at	A	26.2 ft	48 ft	25.7 µg/L
17	Sand Lake	A	42.7 ft	-	20 µg/L
18	Little Sand Lake	A	16.4 ft	39 ft	28.2 µg/L
19	North Lake	A	18 ft	21 ft	22.7 µg/L
20	Granite Lake at	A	19.7 ft	34 ft	23.8 µg/L
21	Poskin Lake	B	13.1 ft	30 ft	28.7 µg/L
22	Pokegama Lake	B	14.8 ft	19 ft	-
23	Lake of the Woods Barron Co. at	B	10.7 ft	55 ft	-
24	Rice Lake	B	14.4 ft	19 ft	31.5 µg/L
25	Crystal Lake	B	10.7 ft	22 ft	52.5 µg/L
26	Upper Turtle Lake	B	13.1 ft	25 ft	41.2 µg/L
27	Lower Turtle Lake	B	12.3 ft	24 ft	57 µg/L
28	Lake Desair	B	13.1 ft	33 ft	36.8 µg/L
29	Mud Lake	C	7.4 ft	15 ft	-
30	Moon Lake	C	-	5 ft	39.9 µg/L
31	Lake Montanis	C	7.4 ft	14 ft	50.2 µg/L
32	Prairie Lake	C	7 ft	16 ft	-
33	Butternut Lake	C	7.4 ft	15 ft	67 µg/L
34	Tenmile Lake	D	6.6 ft	12 ft	-
35	Staples Lake	D	8.2 ft	-	134 µg/L
36	Prairie Lake	D	6.6 ft	16 ft	-
37	Prairie Lake	D	6.6 ft	16 ft	-
38	Upper Vermillion Lake	D	5.7 ft	9 ft	149 µg/L

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.