Lower Sugarbush Lake
Vilas County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Lower Sugarbush Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Limited data
Lower Sugarbush Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.3 µg/L.
Lower Sugarbush Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 102 other monitored lakes in Vilas County, Lower Sugarbush Lake ranks #62 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2024-09-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lower Sugarbush Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited 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 Lower Sugarbush 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 Lower Sugarbush Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Lower Sugarbush Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft. Phosphorus 10.3 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10.3µg/L | Good 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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Lower Sugarbush Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Stays near Lower Sugarbush Lake
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Fishing Lower Sugarbush Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.76 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Vilas County
Frequently asked questions about Lower Sugarbush Lake
Where is Lower Sugarbush Lake?
- Lower Sugarbush 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 Lower Sugarbush Lake?
- Lower Sugarbush Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.3 µg/L.
Is Lower Sugarbush Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
20 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX20 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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.