Crystal Lake
Sheboygan County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Crystal Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 60 ft max depth
- Public access
Crystal Lake in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.3 µg/L.
Crystal Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 60 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Sheboygan County, Crystal Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-07-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Crystal Lake has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Crystal Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Crystal Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water20 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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 Crystal 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 Crystal Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Crystal Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down. Phosphorus 12.3 µg/L. TSI 37.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 20ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 12.3µg/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. | 37 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Crystal Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Crystal Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 83°F) and coldest in May (about 66°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (66°F) to its warmest (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 32 field readings (2024–2026) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Crystal Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~60 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 Crystal Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
116 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
932 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
- Crystal LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Crystal Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Crystal Lake in Sheboygan 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 Crystal Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Wisconsin’s top lakes →
Follow Crystal Lake’s readings
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Fishing Crystal Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2021–2026).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.93 µg/L/yr5 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Crystal Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Northern Moraine Utility CommissionGlenbeulah · 4.2 mi away · NPDES WI0060879Recent 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 Sheboygan County
Frequently asked questions about Crystal Lake
Where is Crystal Lake?
- Crystal Lake is a lake in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Crystal Lake?
- Crystal Lake in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.3 µg/L.
Is Crystal 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 Crystal Lake?
- Crystal Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in October, from 32 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2026). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Crystal Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Crystal Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 60 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 Crystal Lake?
- Crystal Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Crystal Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Crystal Lake?
- Crystal 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.
Explore Crystal Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
64 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX64 samples · 2021–2026
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory