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LakeQuality

Birch Lake

Oneida County, Wisconsin198 acresView mapDirections

Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Birch Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
7.8 ft
Typical for Wisconsin
Secchi · sampled 2025
Max depth
27 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
198 acres
Surface area
Trend
Improving
7 years of samples
  • Rusty Crayfish
  • 27 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Birch Lake in Oneida County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 198 acres.

Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish as abundant on Birch Lake. DNR survey details →

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Birch Lake is a 198-acre lake in Oneida County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 27 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-10-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Birch Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Fishing5 species recorded

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Birch 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.

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Water quality measurements for Birch Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Birch 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 7.8 ft. TSI 48.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)7.8ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo 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.48Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Birch Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish as abundant on Birch Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Birch Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

WI DNR Lake Profile

Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2025).

DNR Assessment
Good · Deep Lowland lake
Trophic State Index 48 (mesotrophic) · 5-year average

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Panfish(Abundant)Largemouth Bass(Common)Northern Pike(Common)Musky(Present)Walleye(Present)

Lake Details

Max depth

27 ft

Surface area

198 acres

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

11 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

3.4 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,562 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Birch Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Birch Lake in Oneida 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 Birch Lake

Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

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Follow Birch Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Birch Lake

Invasive & Introduced Species

Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.

Chinese Mystery SnailRusty Crayfish

Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).

  • Water clarity

    Stable

    6 years

  • Phosphorus

    Improving

    -0.61 µg/L/yr7 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Oneida County

Frequently asked questions about Birch Lake

Where is Birch Lake?

Birch Lake is a lake in Oneida County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Birch Lake?

Birch Lake in Oneida County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 198 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Birch Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Birch Lake?

Birch Lake has a maximum depth of 27 feet. The lake covers 198 acres.

What fish are in Birch Lake?

Fish species found in Birch Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Birch Lake is located in Oneida County, Wisconsin.

Fish on this page ↑

What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Birch Lake?

Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish as abundant on Birch Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Birch Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

40 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX40 samples · 2020–2025
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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes