Where is Little Lake Butte des Morts?

Little Lake Butte des Morts is a lake in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.

How deep is Little Lake Butte des Morts?

Little Lake Butte des Morts has a maximum depth of 18 feet. The lake covers 1200 acres.

Are there boat ramps on Little Lake Butte des Morts?

Little Lake Butte des Morts has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Fritse Park, Ninth Street. Public access is listed as yes.

Can I fish at Little Lake Butte des Morts?

Little Lake Butte des Morts has 2 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.

Little Lake Butte des Morts

Winnebago County, Wisconsin1,200 acresView map Directions

Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Lake Butte des Morts. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity

2 ft

Murkier than most

Secchi · sampled 2025

Phosphorus

133.5 µg/L

More phosphorus than most

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Max depth

18 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

1,200 acres

Surface area

Type

Hypereutrophic

Trophic class

Hypereutrophic
4 aquatic invasives
18 ft max depth
Public access
Limited data

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Little Lake Butte des Morts in Winnebago County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 133.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 18 ft. Surface area: 1200 acres.

Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish, Sturgeon, and Catfish as abundant on Little Lake Butte des Morts. DNR survey details →

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Little Lake Butte des Morts is a 1,200-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Winnebago County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 18 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including Panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Winnebago County, Little Lake Butte des Morts ranks #2 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Little Lake Butte des Morts covers about 1,200 acres in Winnebago County. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Little Lake Butte des Morts on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.

What Little Lake Butte des Morts is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Boat launch2 documented ramps
Fishing7 species recorded
Big water1,200 acres

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 Little Lake Butte des Morts 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.

Compare swimming lakes near Appleton →

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Water quality measurements for Little Lake Butte des Morts

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Little Lake Butte des Morts, 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 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 133.5 µg/L. TSI 71.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	2ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	134µg/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.	71	Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Ask about Little Lake Butte des Morts

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

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish, Sturgeon, and Catfish as abundant on Little Lake Butte des Morts.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Lake Butte des Morts’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. 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. 20 stations on file (most recent sample 2025).

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Panfish(Abundant)Sturgeon(Abundant)Catfish(Abundant)Northern Pike(Common)Walleye(Common)Largemouth Bass(Present)Smallmouth Bass(Present)

Full WI DNR LakePage →Water quality stations →

Lake Details

Max depth

18 ft

Surface area

1,200 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Recreation & Access

Boat Landings

Yes

Public Access

Fritse ParkPublic
Ninth StreetPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Little Lake Butte des Morts

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Little Lake Butte des Morts in Winnebago 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 Little Lake Butte des Morts are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Little Lake Butte des Morts

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

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Little Lake Butte des Morts → · more Wisconsin lake trips

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Fish Species

Panfish Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Northern Pike Walleye Sturgeon Catfish

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

Fishing Little Lake Butte des Morts

Invasive & Introduced Species

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

Chinese Mystery SnailCurly-Leaf PondweedEurasian Water-MilfoilRusty CrayfishZebra MusselRound Goby

Water quality readings over time

2 seasons of samples on record (2024–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.

Water clarity
Stable
2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening
+17 µg/L/yr2 years

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Little Lake Butte des Morts is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Upper Appleton Locks and Dam (completed 1940), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the FOX; concrete-type dam, 18 ft tall and 691 ft long.

Surface area: 582 ac
Normal storage: 7,400 ac-ft
Max storage: 14,300 ac-ft
Drainage area: 6,070 sq mi
Hazard class: Significant
Owner: USACE - Chicago District;Wisconsin DNR

All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Navigation;Recreation;Hydroelectric;Water Supply.

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WI00851 · Operator website

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

9 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Little Lake Butte des Morts under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 4 classified by the EPA as major dischargers. 7 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.

Fox West Regional Sewerage Commission Wwtf
Neenah, City Of · 0.7 mi away · NPDES WI0024686
MajorRecent violation
Sca Tissue North America Llc
Menasha · 0.9 mi away · NPDES WI0037389
MajorRecent violation
Neenah Menasha Sewer Commissio
Menasha · 1.4 mi away · NPDES WI0026085
MajorRecent violation
Neenah Paper Inc Neenah Mill
Neenah · 2.1 mi away · NPDES WI0037842
MajorRecent violation
Coveris - Menasha Plant
Menasha · 1.3 mi away · NPDES WI0026999
Recent violation
Galloway Company
Neenah · 2.3 mi away · NPDES WI0027553
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 Winnebago County

Lake Butte des Morts2.3 ft clear—View →Lake Winnebago—View →Lake Winneconne2.5 ft clear—View →Lake Poygan2.5 ft clear—View →

Rush Lake3.2 ft clear · EutrophicCompare—View →

Frequently asked questions about Little Lake Butte des Morts

Where is Little Lake Butte des Morts?: Little Lake Butte des Morts is a lake in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Lake Butte des Morts?: Little Lake Butte des Morts in Winnebago County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 133.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 18 ft. Surface area: 1200 acres.
Is Little Lake Butte des Morts safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Little Lake Butte des Morts?: Little Lake Butte des Morts has a maximum depth of 18 feet. The lake covers 1200 acres.
What fish are in Little Lake Butte des Morts?: Fish species found in Little Lake Butte des Morts include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Sturgeon, Catfish. Little Lake Butte des Morts is located in Winnebago County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Little Lake Butte des Morts?: Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish, Sturgeon, and Catfish as abundant on Little Lake Butte des Morts. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Lake Butte des Morts’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Little Lake Butte des Morts?: Little Lake Butte des Morts has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Fritse Park, Ninth Street. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Little Lake Butte des Morts?: Little Lake Butte des Morts has 2 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.

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State Parks Near Little Lake Butte des Morts

High Cliff State Park

State Park · 9.4 mi

Other Lakes in Wisconsin

Chilton Millpond

Calumet County · 2.9 ft

Beckers Lake

Calumet County · 1.5 ft

Long Lake

Manitowoc County · 1.9 ft

Giltners Lake

Fond du Lac County · Measured

Bullhead Lake

Manitowoc County · 4.5 ft

Schoenick Lake at

Shawano County · 5 ft

Hypereutrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Chilton Millpond Beckers Lake Giltners Lake Silver Creek Estuary Lake

Compare Little Lake Butte des Morts With Nearby Lakes

Little Lake Butte des Morts vs Rush Lake

Winnebago County · 3.2 ft

Where this data comes from

18 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX18 samples · 2024–2025

Analytical methods

Phosphorus by Colorimetry

Monitoring station identifiers (1)

WIDNR_WQX-713305

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

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory