Holcombe Flowage Lake
Chippewa County, Wisconsin4,300 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Holcombe Flowage Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
Holcombe Flowage Lake in Chippewa County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 49.6 µg/L. Surface area: 4300 acres.
Holcombe Flowage Lake is a 4,300-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Chippewa County, Holcombe Flowage Lake ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Holcombe Flowage Lake covers about 4,300 acres in Chippewa County. It has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Holcombe Flowage Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Holcombe Flowage Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water4,300 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria tested: low
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.
Based on E. coli testing, Holcombe Flowage Lake never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 29 samples across 3 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Wisconsin’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Whether Holcombe Flowage 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 Holcombe Flowage Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Holcombe Flowage Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.7 ft. Phosphorus 49.6 µg/L. TSI 59.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 49.6µg/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. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Holcombe Flowage Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
4,300 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Wisconsin DNR
No bathymetric survey has been published for Holcombe Flowage Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Holcombe FlowagePublic
- Holcombe FlowageSemi-private
- Holcombe FlowageSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Holcombe Flowage Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Holcombe Flowage Lake in Chippewa 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 Holcombe Flowage Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Holcombe Flowage Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Holcombe Flowage Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+5.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Holcombe Flowage Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Holcombe (completed 1950), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Chippewa River; gravity-type dam, 60 ft tall and 6,100 ft long.
- Surface area
- 4,300 ac
- Normal storage
- 46,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 46,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4,680 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Northern States Power Co
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WI00732 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Holcombe Flowage Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Lake Holcombe Sanitary District #1 WwtfLake Holcombe · 2.9 mi away · NPDES WI0028339Recent 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 Chippewa County
Frequently asked questions about Holcombe Flowage Lake
Where is Holcombe Flowage Lake?
- Holcombe Flowage Lake is a lake in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Holcombe Flowage Lake?
- Holcombe Flowage Lake in Chippewa County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 49.6 µg/L. Surface area: 4300 acres.
Is Holcombe Flowage Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Holcombe Flowage Lake never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 29 samples across 3 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Holcombe Flowage Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for Wisconsin's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Holcombe Flowage Lake?
- Holcombe Flowage Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Holcombe Flowage, Holcombe Flowage, Holcombe Flowage. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Holcombe Flowage Lake?
- Holcombe Flowage Lake has 3 documented boat landings 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 Holcombe Flowage Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Wisconsin
Fish species and best lakes in Chippewa County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Wisconsin's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Chippewa River Watershed, ranked by water quality
Wisconsin's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Compare Holcombe Flowage Lake With Nearby Lakes
Where this data comes from
70 measurements from 3 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_WQX70 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory