Kenu Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin68 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Kenu Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 13 ft max depth
- Limited data
Kenu Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 43.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 68 acres.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Kenu Lake. DNR survey details →
Kenu Lake is a 68-acre lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 13 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 2022-08-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Kenu Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing5 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Kenu 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 Kenu Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Kenu 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 2.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 43.5 µg/L. TSI 62.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 43.5µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 62 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Kenu Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Kenu Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Kenu Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 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 2022).
Fish Species (DNR-rated)
Lake Details
Max depth
13 ft
Surface area
68 acres
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,713 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Kenu Lake
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Follow Kenu Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Kenu Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2022–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-10.79 µg/L/yr3 years
Nearby Lakes in Vilas County
Frequently asked questions about Kenu Lake
Where is Kenu Lake?
- Kenu Lake is a lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Kenu Lake?
- Kenu Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 43.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 68 acres.
Is Kenu Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Kenu Lake?
- Kenu Lake has a maximum depth of 13 feet. The lake covers 68 acres.
What fish are in Kenu Lake?
- Fish species found in Kenu Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Kenu Lake is located in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Kenu Lake?
- Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Kenu Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Kenu Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
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Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX3 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Turbidity in Water
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