Portage County Lake Quality
Wisconsin, 27 lakes, average grade B (Good)
Portage County's 27 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. The county-wide average lands at B — solid water quality with most lakes carrying clear summer transparency and low-to-moderate phosphorus.
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. Lake Emily (B) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Portage County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Lake Emily, whether the fish are safe to eat, and the best times to fish — or browse the full Wisconsin regulations index.
Fishing in Portage County
DNR Reports (4)
Wisconsin DNR Fisheries Survey resources for lakes in Portage County. browse all reports →
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- 2025Thomas Lake spring shocking, 2025Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2025 (PDF)
- 2024Sunset Lake spring shocking, 2024Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2024 (PDF)
- 2023Stevens Point Flowage comprehensive survey, 2023Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2023 (PDF)
- 2022Collins Lake spring shocking, 2022Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2022 (PDF)
All Lakes in Portage County
27 lakes · 14 graded, 13 not rated14 graded lakes · 13 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Max Depth | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLake EmilyPortage | B | 11 ft | 16.9 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 35 ft | ✓ Public |
| 2 | BRinehart LakePortage | B | 19 ft | 13.8 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 27 ft | ✓ Public |
| 3 | BSunset LakePortage | B | 13.3 ft | 13.1 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 55 ft | ✓ Public |
| 4 | BTree LakePortage | B | 7.4 ft | 20.1 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 33 ft | ✓ Public |
| 5 | BGlisezinski LakePortage | B | 9 ft | 16.4 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 11 ft | ✓ Public |
| 6 | BCollins LakePortage | B | 6.5 ft | 20.6 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 56 ft | ✓ Public |
| 7 | BLake HelenPortage | B | 8 ft | 19.2 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 20 ft | ✓ Public |
| 8 | BOnland LakePortage | B | 10.5 ft | 12.8 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 28 ft | Not recorded |
| 9 | BSpringville PondPortage | B | 9 ft | 18.8 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 10 ft | ✓ Public |
| 10 | CMcdill PondPortage | C | 5 ft | 34.1 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 19 ft | ✓ Public |
| 11 | CJordan PondPortage | C | 4 ft | 35.6 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 7 ft | ✓ Public |
| 12 | CSpring LakePortage | C | 8.8 ft | 29.9 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 42 ft | ✓ Public |
| 13 | CAmherst MillpondPortage | C | No recent samples | 31.3 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 7 ft | ✓ Public |
| 14 | DCulvert on Lake HelenPortage | D | No recent samples | 87.1 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| NRPickerel LakePortage | NR | 9.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 12 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRBear LakePortage | NR | 13 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 28 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRWolf LakePortage | NR | 9 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 17 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NREbert LakePortage | NR | 21 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 30 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRSouth Twin LakePortage | NR | 5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 9 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRUnnamed LakePortage | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRLake LimePortage | NR | 10.8 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 29 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRLake Ell LakePortage | NR | 3.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 20 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRFountain LakePortage | NR | 21 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 23 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRAdams LakePortage | NR | 7.3 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 44 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRLake PacawaPortage | NR | 4.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 12 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRThomas LakePortage | NR | 13 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 28 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRJoanis LakePortage | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
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
See how Portage 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.