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Lake Pacawa

Portage County, Wisconsin23 acresView mapDirections

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

Clarity
4.5 ft
Murkier than most
Secchi · sampled 2024
Max depth
12 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
23 acres
Surface area
  • 12 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Lake Pacawa in Portage County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 12 ft. Surface area: 23 acres.

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Lake Pacawa is a 23-acre lake in Portage County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 12 feet.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2024-07-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Lake Pacawa covers about 23 acres in Portage County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Pacawa, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Lake Pacawa 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 Lake Pacawa

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Lake Pacawa, 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 4.5 ft. TSI 55.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)4.5ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo reading

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.55Eutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Ask about Lake Pacawa

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

WI DNR Lake Profile

Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2024).

Lake Details

Max depth

12 ft

Surface area

23 acres

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Lake Pacawa

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Pacawa in Portage 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 Lake Pacawa

Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

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Fishing Lake Pacawa

Invasive & Introduced Species

Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.

Hybrid Eurasian / Northern Water-Milfoil

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Lake Pacawa under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.

  • Plover Wastewater Treatment Facility
    Plover · 3.1 mi away · NPDES WI0027995
    MajorRecent violation
  • Foremost Farms Usa Coop Plover
    Plover · 1.4 mi away · NPDES WI0003859
    Recent 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 Portage County

Frequently asked questions about Lake Pacawa

Where is Lake Pacawa?

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

What is the water quality of Lake Pacawa?

Lake Pacawa in Portage County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 12 ft. Surface area: 23 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Lake Pacawa safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Lake Pacawa?

Lake Pacawa has a maximum depth of 12 feet. The lake covers 23 acres.

Where this data comes from

5 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_WQX5 samples · 2024
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

Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)

Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes