Taylor County Lake Quality
Wisconsin, 6 lakes, average grade D (Poor)
Taylor County has 6 graded lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. The county-wide average grade is D — water quality issues are persistent across most of the monitored basins. 2 lakes fall into the F bracket outright.
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 Richter Lake (A); the most-stressed is Cranberry Lake (F).
Quick Answers for Taylor County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Richter Lake, whether the fish are safe to eat, and the best times to fish — or browse the full Wisconsin regulations index.
DNR Reports (1)
Wisconsin DNR Fisheries Survey resources for lakes in Taylor County. browse all reports →
- 2023Sackett Lake spring netting and shocking survey, 2023Netting Survey · WI DNR · 2023 (PDF)
All Lakes in Taylor County
| Rank | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Max Depth | Phosphorus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richter Lake | A | 10 ft | 50 ft | 15 µg/L |
| 2 | Lake Esadore | C | 4.5 ft | 36 ft | 22.3 µg/L |
| 3 | South Harper Lake | C | 6.8 ft | 32 ft | - |
| 4 | Spirit Lake | D | 3 ft | 9 ft | 88.1 µg/L |
| 5 | Cranberry Lake | F | 2 ft | 8 ft | - |
| 6 | Chequamegon Waters Flowage Lake | F | 2.5 ft | 22 ft | 91.3 µg/L |
Other Counties in Wisconsin
See how Taylor County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all 12 states.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.