Big Dardis Lake
Price County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Dardis Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 50 ft max depth
- Public access
Big Dardis Lake in Price County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20.7 µg/L.
Big Dardis Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Price County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 50 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 12 other monitored lakes in Price County, Big Dardis Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Big Dardis Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Big Dardis Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Big Dardis Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft. Phosphorus 20.7 µg/L. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20.7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Big Dardis Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Big Dardis Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in May (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (63°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 30 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Big Dardis Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~50 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Wisconsin DNR
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Wisconsin has not published bathymetry for Big Dardis Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
136 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,480 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Big Dardis Lake
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Fishing Big Dardis Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.96 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Price County
Frequently asked questions about Big Dardis Lake
Where is Big Dardis Lake?
- Big Dardis Lake is a lake in Price County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Big Dardis Lake?
- Big Dardis Lake in Price County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20.7 µg/L.
Is Big Dardis Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Big Dardis Lake?
- Big Dardis Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in September, from 30 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Big Dardis Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Big Dardis Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 50 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Big Dardis Lake?
- Public access to Big Dardis Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Wisconsin's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Big Dardis Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
47 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX47 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)