Washburn County Lake Quality

Wisconsin, 47 lakes, average grade B (Good)

Washburn County's 47 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.

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 Balsam Lake (B); the most-stressed is Birch Lake (C).

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Quick Answers for Washburn County

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

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

Fishing in Washburn County

Washburn County Fishing Guide

Fish species and best-graded lakes in Washburn County

DNR Reports (2)

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

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

2023
Minong Flowage comprehensive survey, 2023
Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2023 (PDF)
2023
Stone Lake comprehensive survey, 2023
Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2023 (PDF)

All Lakes in Washburn County

47 lakes · 27 graded, 20 not rated27 graded lakes · 20 not rated, hidden

Include not-rated lakes (20)

#	Lake	Grade	Clarity	Phosphorus	Algae	Trophic	Max Depth	Access
1	BBalsam LakeWashburn	B	8.8 ft	19.3 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
2	BDeep LakeWashburn	B	7.5 ft	16.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	25 ft	✓ Public
3	BBass LakeWashburn	B	16 ft	12.3 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	31 ft	✓ Public
4	BLong LakeWashburn	B	9.5 ft	17.3 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
5	BStone LakeWashburn	B	23 ft	11.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	49 ft	✓ Public
6	BNorth Twin LakeWashburn	B	9 ft	13.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
7	BLower Mckenzie LakeWashburn	B	11 ft	18.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
8	BShell LakeWashburn	B	16 ft	15.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	36 ft	✓ Public
9	BBean LakeWashburn	B	10 ft	15.4 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	35 ft	✓ Public
10	BHorseshoe LakeWashburn	B	13 ft	12.6 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	21 ft	✓ Public
11	BTozer LakeWashburn	B	16 ft	13.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	53 ft	✓ Public
12	BMclain LakeWashburn	B	9.5 ft	14.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	30 ft	✓ Public
13	BMiddle Kimball LakeWashburn	B	16 ft	13.1 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	77 ft	Not recorded
14	BMatthews LakeWashburn	B	13.3 ft	13.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	26 ft	✓ Public
15	BLake NancyWashburn	B	14 ft	13.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	39 ft	✓ Public
16	BSouth Twin LakeWashburn	B	14 ft	11.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	29 ft	✓ Public
17	BGilmore LakeWashburn	B	10 ft	16.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	36 ft	✓ Public
18	BUpper Kimball LakeWashburn	B	10 ft	20.4 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	11 ft	Not recorded
19	BBig Mckenzie LakeWashburn	B	10 ft	16.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	71 ft	✓ Public
20	BLower Kimball LakeWashburn	B	6 ft	18.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	6 ft	✓ Public
21	BSpooner LakeWashburn	B	6.5 ft	22.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	17 ft	✓ Public
22	BSlim LakeWashburn	B	15.7 ft	13 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	42 ft	✓ Public
23	BYellow River Flowage LakeWashburn	B	10 ft	23.1 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	17 ft	✓ Public
24	CBirch LakeWashburn	C	5.5 ft	26.1 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	73 ft	✓ Public
25	CPotato LakeWashburn	C	9.9 ft	26.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	20 ft	✓ Public
26	CMinong Flowage LakeWashburn	C	3.5 ft	37.2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	21 ft	✓ Public
27	CKekegama LakeWashburn	C	5.2 ft	26.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	24 ft	✓ Public
	NRSpider LakeWashburn	NR	9.5 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	NRSilver LakeWashburn	NR	11 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	28 ft	✓ Public
	NRBig Bass LakeWashburn	NR	17.9 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	27 ft	✓ Public
	NRBass LakeWashburn	NR	14 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	35 ft	✓ Public
	NRIsland LakeWashburn	NR	14.5 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	44 ft	✓ Public
	NRMud LakeWashburn	NR	No recent samples	70.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	13 ft	✓ Public
	NRLoon LakeWashburn	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	63 ft	✓ Public
	NRLittle Sand LakeWashburn	NR	12 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	21 ft	✓ Public
	NRRipley LakeWashburn	NR	8.6 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	27 ft	✓ Public
	NRMiddle Twin Lake atWashburn	NR	7.5 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	NRSpring LakeWashburn	NR	No recent samples	14.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	24 ft	✓ Public
	NRBig Bass LakeWashburn	NR	No recent samples	11.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	27 ft	✓ Public
	NRUnnamed LakeWashburn	NR	6.5 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	10 ft	✓ Public
	NRUnnamed LakeWashburn	NR	3.3 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	3 ft	Not recorded
	NRUnnamed LakeWashburn	NR	No recent samples	28.4 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	NRDunn LakeWashburn	NR	14.2 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	39 ft	✓ Public
	NRNo Mans LakeWashburn	NR	9 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	23 ft	✓ Public
	NRGull LakeWashburn	NR	11 ft	11.1 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	19 ft	✓ Public
	NRTrego LakeWashburn	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	36 ft	✓ Public
	NRLong Lake North ChannelWashburn	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	74 ft	✓ 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

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 Washburn 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.