Late afternoon sun over Slim Lake, scattering a bright path across wind-textured water

Barron County Lake Quality

Wisconsin, 70 lakes, measured by Wisconsin DNR

Barron County in Wisconsin carries 70 monitored lakes — one of the lake-richer counties in our dataset. Coverage that dense usually reflects active lake-association sampling alongside state-agency monitoring. 28 of those lakes carry recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. The county's readings sit in the middle of the Wisconsin range, with one or two lakes pulling the average up or down depending on year.

The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the readings sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest measured lake is Sand Lake.

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Quick Answers for Barron County

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

Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Sand Lake — or browse the full Wisconsin regulations index.

Fishing in Barron County

Barron County Fishing Guide

Fish species and the cleanest lakes in Barron County

DNR Reports (16)

Wisconsin DNR Fisheries Survey resources for lakes in Barron County. browse all reports →

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

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)
2013
Beaver Dam Lake comprehensive fisheries survey, 2013
Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2013 (PDF)
—
Little Sand Lake muskellunge survey, 2023-2024
Musky Survey · WI DNR (PDF)
—
Rice Lake muskellunge fishery assessment, 2014-2015
Musky Survey · WI DNR (PDF)
—
Rice Lake muskellunge survey, 2022-2023
Musky Survey · WI DNR (PDF)

All Lakes in Barron County

70 lakes · 28 ranked on readings, 42 without enough sampling28 lakes ranked on readings · 42 without enough sampling, hidden

Include not-rated lakes (42)

#	Lake	Clarity	Phosphorus	Algae	Trophic	Max Depth	Access
1	Sand LakeBarron	13 ft	20 µg/L	1.9 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
2	Beaver Dam LakeBarron	11 ft	12.9 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	106 ft	✓ Public
3	Silver LakeBarron	13 ft	12.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	91 ft	✓ Public
4	Bass LakeBarron	10 ft	16.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	14 ft	✓ Public
5	Bear LakeBarron	6.2 ft	18 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	87 ft	✓ Public
6	North LakeBarron	5.5 ft	22.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	21 ft	✓ Public
7	Red Cedar LakeBarron	10.1 ft	17.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	53 ft	✓ Public
8	Kirby LakeBarron	7.5 ft	24.4 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	19 ft	✓ Public
9	Loon LakeBarron	8.5 ft	18.6 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	26 ft	✓ Public
10	Big Dummy LakeBarron	12 ft	16.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	54 ft	✓ Public
11	Echo LakeBarron	13 ft	14.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	41 ft	✓ Public
12	Lower Vermillion LakeBarron	9 ft	17.1 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	55 ft	✓ Public
13	Horseshoe LakeBarron	7.3 ft	19.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	19 ft	✓ Public
14	Big Moon Lake atBarron	10 ft	23.3 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	48 ft	✓ Public
15	Granite Lake atBarron	6 ft	23.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	34 ft	✓ Public
16	Little Dummy LakeBarron	11 ft	14.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	44 ft	✓ Public
17	Rice LakeBarron	4.1 ft	31.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	19 ft	✓ Public
18	Little Sand LakeBarron	4.8 ft	28.6 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	39 ft	✓ Public
19	Upper Turtle LakeBarron	4 ft	38.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	25 ft	✓ Public
20	Moon LakeBarron	No recent samples	39.9 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	5 ft	✓ Public
21	Poskin LakeBarron	4 ft	29.3 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	30 ft	✓ Public
22	Lake MontanisBarron	2 ft	48.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	14 ft	✓ Public
23	Butternut LakeBarron	2.3 ft	73 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	15 ft	✓ Public
24	Lake DesairBarron	4 ft	40.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	33 ft	✓ Public
25	Crystal LakeBarron	3.2 ft	52.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	22 ft	Not recorded
26	Staples LakeBarron	2.6 ft	131 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	17 ft	✓ Public
27	Lower Turtle LakeBarron	4 ft	56.4 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	24 ft	✓ Public
28	Upper Vermillion LakeBarron	1.7 ft	149 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	9 ft	✓ Public
	Prairie LakeBarron	2 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	16 ft	✓ Public
	Mud LakeBarron	2.3 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	15 ft	✓ Public
	Tenmile LakeBarron	2 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	12 ft	✓ Public
	Lake ThirtyBarron	4.8 ft	19.4 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	27 ft	✓ Public
	Pokegama LakeBarron	4.5 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	19 ft	✓ Public
	Lake of the Woods Barron Co. atBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	55 ft	Not recorded
	Spring LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	67 ft	Not recorded
	Greeley LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	13 ft	Not recorded
	Sylvan LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	37 ft	✓ Public
	Spider LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	13 ft	✓ Public
	Chain LakesBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Mud LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	7 ft	Not recorded
	Buck LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	20 ft	Not recorded
	Peterson LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	12 ft	Not recorded
	Duck LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	26 ft	✓ Public
	Kidney LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	32 ft	Not recorded
	Scott LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	26 ft	✓ Public
	Mud LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	11 ft	Not recorded
	Long LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	13 ft	Not recorded
	Sand LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	57 ft	Not recorded
	Little Bass LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	56 ft	Not recorded
	Upper Waterman LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	47 ft	Not recorded
	Little Moon LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	30 ft	✓ Public
	Horseshoe LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	57 ft	Not recorded
	Mud LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	4 ft	Not recorded
	Skinaway LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	10 ft	Not recorded
	Musket LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	11 ft	Not recorded
	Prairie Farm FlowageBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	8 ft	✓ Public
	Dallas FlowageBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	9 ft	Not recorded
	Lake ChetekBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	22 ft	✓ Public
	Bailey LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	7 ft	Not recorded
	Barron Flowage Number OneBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	12 ft	Not recorded
	Barron Flowage Number ThreeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	10 ft	Not recorded
	Stump LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	7 ft	Not recorded
	Tuscobia LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	25 ft	Not recorded
	Bass LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	19.7 ft	Not recorded
	Mitchell LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	14 ft	Not recorded
	Lower Devils LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	26 ft	Not recorded
	Upper Devils LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	10 ft	✓ Public
	Pickerel LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	26.2 ft	Not recorded
	Chain LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	19 ft	✓ Public
	Minnow LakeBarron	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	12 ft	Not recorded

NR = no nutrient or algae reading on record. The measurements are published as the authority reports them. Where the data comes from.

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Source: the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. See data sources.