Echo Lake
Echo Lake in Iron County, Wisconsin has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19.3 µg/L.
- Clarity
- 6 ft
- Typical in August
- 70°F
- Max depth
- ~46 ft est.
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
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Echo Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Iron County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 46 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 15 other monitored lakes in Iron County, Echo Lake ranks #9 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-08-23. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels
Water Quality Grade: B (Good)
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft. Phosphorus level: 19.3 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 49.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 6 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 19.3 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 49 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Where to stay near Echo Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Echo Lake in Iron 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.
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Water Temperature
Echo Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 60°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 19 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Echo Lake water temperature breakdown →
DNR Reports & Resources
Wisconsin DNR Fisheries scientists publish multi-year survey reports for Echo 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).
- 2024Echo Lake late spring netting survey, 2024Netting Survey · WI DNR · 2024 (PDF)
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~46 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~12 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 Echo Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Echo Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.736 m/yr | 6 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -1.72 µg/L/yr | 7 |
County Ranking
Ranked #9 of 16 lakes in Iron County
Nearby Lakes in Iron County
Frequently asked questions about Echo Lake
Where is Echo Lake?
- Echo Lake is a lake in Iron County, Wisconsin. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Echo Lake?
- Echo Lake in Iron County, Wisconsin has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19.3 µg/L.
Is Echo Lake safe to swim in?
- Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels. Echo Lake has a water quality grade of B (Good). Always check local health department advisories before swimming.
What is the water temperature of Echo Lake?
- Echo Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in August, from 19 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Echo Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Echo 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 Echo Lake across LakeQuality
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Moderate nutrients, good water quality
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Other Grade B Lakes in Wisconsin
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Where this data comes from
52 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_WQX52 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)