Where is Garner Lake?

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

How deep is Garner Lake?

Garner Lake has a maximum depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 13 acres.

What fish are in Garner Lake?

Fish species found in Garner Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Catfish. Garner Lake is located in Richland County, Wisconsin.

Can I fish at Garner Lake?

Public access to Garner Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.

Garner Lake

Richland County, Wisconsin13 acresView map Directions

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

Clarity

1.3 ft

Murkier than most

Secchi · sampled 2024

Phosphorus

121 µg/L

More phosphorus than most

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Max depth

8 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

13 acres

Surface area

Type

Hypereutrophic

Trophic class

Hypereutrophic
Curly-Leaf Pondweed
8 ft max depth
Public access
Limited data

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Garner Lake in Richland County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 121 µg/L. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 13 acres.

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Garner Lake. DNR survey details →

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Garner Lake is a 13-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Richland County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 8 feet. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including Panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Richland County, Garner Lake ranks #2 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2024-10-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Garner Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Fishing4 species recorded

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited data

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 Garner 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 Garner Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Garner Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Very murky, less than 1.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 121 µg/L. TSI 73.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	1.3ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	121µg/L	Poor 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.	73	Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Ask about Garner Lake

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

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Garner Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Garner Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. 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.

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Panfish(Common)Northern Pike(Common)Largemouth Bass(Present)Catfish(Present)

Full WI DNR LakePage →Water quality stations →

Lake Details

Max depth

8 ft

Surface area

13 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Garner Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Garner Lake in Richland 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Garner Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Garner Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

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Fish Species

Panfish Largemouth Bass Northern Pike Catfish

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

Fishing Garner 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.

Curly-Leaf PondweedEurasian Water-Milfoil

Nearby Lakes in Richland County

Lower Lake—View →Cruson Slough Lake7.6 ft clear · Eutrophic—View →Jones Slough Lake4.9 ft clear · Eutrophic—View →Rice Lake4.6 ft clear · Eutrophic—View →Unknown Lake2.4 ft clear · Eutrophic—View →Goodwiler Lake4.7 ft clear · Eutrophic—View →

Frequently asked questions about Garner Lake

Where is Garner Lake?: Garner Lake is a lake in Richland County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Garner Lake?: Garner Lake in Richland County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 121 µg/L. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 13 acres.
Is Garner Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Garner Lake?: Garner Lake has a maximum depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 13 acres.
What fish are in Garner Lake?: Fish species found in Garner Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Catfish. Garner Lake is located in Richland County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Garner Lake?: Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Garner Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Garner Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Garner Lake?: Public access to Garner Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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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Other Lakes in Wisconsin

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Unknown Lake

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Iowa County · 2 ft

Sauk County · 4.4 ft

Iowa County · 1.5 ft

Iowa County · 3.4 ft

Hypereutrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Unnamed Lake Ludden Lake Yellowstone Lake Lake Tomah

Where this data comes from

12 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 ResourcesWIDNR_WQX12 samples · 2024

Analytical methods

Phosphorus by Colorimetry

Monitoring station identifiers (1)

WIDNR_WQX-10020069

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.