Douglas County Lake Quality

Wisconsin, 25 lakes, average grade C (Fair)

There are 25 graded lakes in Douglas County. The mix is varied enough that the county-level average tells you the broad strokes, not the choose-this-cabin specifics. Douglas County averages to a C. The distribution behind that average matters more than the letter: a few stressed lakes versus many decent ones can produce the same average as the inverse.

The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the grades sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest lake on the books is Whitefish Lake (B); the most-stressed is Dowling Lake (D).

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Quick Answers for Douglas County

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

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

Fishing in Douglas County

Douglas County Fishing Guide

Fish species and best-graded lakes in Douglas County

DNR Reports (13)

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

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

2025
Cranberry Lake spring shocking survey, 2025
Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2025 (PDF)
2025
Eau Claire, Lower spring shocking survey, 2025
Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2025 (PDF)
2025
Person Lake spring shocking survey, 2025
Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2025 (PDF)
2025
Two Mile Lake spring shocking survey, 2025
Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2025 (PDF)
2024
Dowling Lake spring shocking survey, 2024
Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2024 (PDF)
2024
Lyman Lake spring shocking survey, 2024
Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2024 (PDF)
2017
Lake Minnesuing fishery assessment, 2017
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR · 2017 (PDF)
2015
St. Louis River lake sturgeon survey summary 2015
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR · 2015 (PDF)
2014
Nebagamon Lake comprehensive fisheries survey, 2014
Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2014 (PDF)
2014
Whitefish Lake comprehensive fisheries survey, 2014
Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2014 (PDF)
2009
Upper St. Croix Lake Fisheries survey, 2009
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR · 2009 (PDF)
—
Amnicon Lake fishery survey, 2024-2025
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR (PDF)
—
Lake Nebagamon fishery survey, 2022-2023
Fisheries Survey · WI DNR (PDF)

All Lakes in Douglas County

25 lakes · 15 graded, 10 not rated15 graded lakes · 10 not rated, hidden

Include not-rated lakes (10)

#	Lake	Grade	Clarity	Phosphorus	Algae	Trophic	Max Depth	Access
1	BWhitefish LakeDouglas	B	25 ft	11 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	102 ft	✓ Public
2	BSaint Croix Flowage LakeDouglas	B	10.5 ft	23.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
3	BAmnicon LakeDouglas	B	5 ft	23.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	31 ft	✓ Public
4	BSt Croix Flowage LakeDouglas	B	6.8 ft	23.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
5	BLeader LakeDouglas	B	15.3 ft	9.9 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	56 ft	✓ Public
6	BLake MinnesuingDouglas	B	6.2 ft	16.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	43 ft	✓ Public
7	BLake NebagamonDouglas	B	7 ft	17.9 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	56 ft	✓ Public
8	BRed LakeDouglas	B	12 ft	12.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	37 ft	✓ Public
9	CSpirit LakeDouglas	C	1.3 ft	59.5 µg/L	1.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
10	CPerson LakeDouglas	C	7.6 ft	25.3 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	8 ft	✓ Public
11	CSt. Louis Bay LakeDouglas	C	1.3 ft	68 µg/L	1.6 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
12	CUpper Estuary LakeDouglas	C	2.1 ft	52 µg/L	1.4 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
13	CBardon LakeDouglas	C	27 ft	30 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	102 ft	✓ Public
14	DDowling LakeDouglas	D	2.5 ft	50 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	13 ft	✓ Public
15	DRadigan Flowage LakeDouglas	D	2 ft	94.9 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	NRBear LakeDouglas	NR	2 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	10 ft	Not recorded
	NRTozer LakeDouglas	NR	3 ft	38.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRUnnamed LakeDouglas	NR	No recent samples	27.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	6 ft	✓ Public
	NRBond LakeDouglas	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	67 ft	✓ Public
	NRSt. Louis River Outlet Upstream of John A. Blatnik Memorial Bridge LakeDouglas	NR	1.6 ft	65.5 µg/L	2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	NRDuluth LakeDouglas	NR	1.6 ft	54 µg/L	2.9 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	NRLake SuperiorDouglas	NR	No recent samples	29 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRDowling LakeDouglas	NR	No recent samples	54.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	13 ft	✓ Public
	NRPark Creek PondDouglas	NR	No recent samples	18 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	7 ft	✓ Public
	NRCheney LakeDouglas	NR	No recent samples	10.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	21 ft	Not recorded

NR = not rated: the monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar for a grade. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.

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Other Counties in Wisconsin

Outagamie County

1 lake · Avg grade A

Washington County

15 lakes · Avg grade B

Kenosha County

12 lakes · Avg grade B

Marinette County

22 lakes · Avg grade B

Forest County

34 lakes · Avg grade B

Waushara County

32 lakes · Avg grade B

See how Douglas County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all 39 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.