Big Lake
Shawano County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 46 ft max depth
Big Lake in Shawano County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L.
Big Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Shawano County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 46 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 20 other monitored lakes in Shawano County, Big Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-22. 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 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 Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Big Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.7 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Big Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Big Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 59°F. Usually warmest in Sep (about 66°F) and coldest in May (about 49°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (49°F) to its warmest (66°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 134 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Big Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~46 ft est.
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 Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
52 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
968 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 Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Big Lake in Shawano County, Wisconsin — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Big Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Big Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.24 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.45 µg/L/yr2 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Big Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Wolf River Ranch WwtfShawano County · 0.8 mi away · NPDES WI0071307Recent violation
- Menominee Tribal EnterpriseNeopit · 3.3 mi away · NPDES WI0046868Recent violation
- Newburg VillageNewburg · 4.9 mi away · NPDES WI0024911Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Shawano County
Frequently asked questions about Big Lake
Where is Big Lake?
- Big Lake is a lake in Shawano 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 Lake?
- Big Lake in Shawano County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L.
Is Big 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 Lake?
- Big Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October, from 134 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Big Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Big Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 46 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Big Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
94 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2020–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Stockbridge_Munsee Community
STOCKBRIDGE_MUNSEE63 samples · 2021–2025 - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX31 samples · 2020–2026
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)