Big Twin Lake
Green Lake County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Twin Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 45 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Big Twin Lake in Green Lake County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility.
Big Twin Lake is a lake in Green Lake County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 45 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2024-10-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Big Twin Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Big Twin Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Big Twin 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 Twin Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Big Twin 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 7 ft. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| 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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Big Twin Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
DNR Reports & Resources
Wisconsin DNR Fisheries scientists publish multi-year survey reports for Big Twin Lake covering fish populations, stocking, water quality, and management. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- 2023Big Twin Lake spring shocking survey, 2023Spring Shocking Survey · WI DNR · 2023 (PDF)
Lake Details
Max depth
~45 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 Twin Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
47 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
833 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.
Recreation & Access
- Twin Lakes County ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Big Twin Lake
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Fishing Big Twin Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Big Twin Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit WI10000971 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Green Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Big Twin Lake
Where is Big Twin Lake?
- Big Twin Lake is a lake in Green Lake 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 Twin Lake?
- Big Twin Lake in Green Lake County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility.
Is Big Twin Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Big Twin Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Big Twin Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Big Twin Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 45 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Big Twin Lake?
- Big Twin Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Twin Lakes County Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Big Twin Lake?
- Big Twin Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.
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Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX16 samples · 2024
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory