Neshonoc Lake
La Crosse County, Wisconsin687 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Neshonoc Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 9 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Neshonoc Lake in La Crosse County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.4 ft visibility. Surface area: 687 acres.
Neshonoc Lake is a 687-acre lake in La Crosse County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 9 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2022-06-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Neshonoc Lake covers about 690 acres in La Crosse County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Neshonoc Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Neshonoc Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Neshonoc 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 Neshonoc Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Neshonoc 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 0.4 ft of visibility. TSI 91.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No 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. | 91 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Neshonoc Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
DNR Reports & Resources
Wisconsin DNR Fisheries scientists publish multi-year survey reports for Neshonoc Lake covering fish populations, stocking, water quality, and management. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- 2024Lake Neshonoc netting survey, 2024Netting Survey · WI DNR · 2024 (PDF)
Lake Details
Max depth
~9 ft est.
Surface area
687 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Wisconsin DNR
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Wisconsin has not published bathymetry for Neshonoc Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
376 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
692 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Neshonoc Swarthout ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Neshonoc Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Neshonoc Lake
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Fishing Neshonoc Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Neshonoc Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Neshonoc (completed 1914), built primarily for hydroelectric on the La Crosse River; concrete-type dam, 18 ft tall and 218 ft long.
- Surface area
- 687 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,100 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,100 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 390 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- North American Hydro Inc
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WI00148 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
4 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Neshonoc Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 4 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Bostwick Valley Mhp WwtfWest Salem · 1 mi away · NPDES WI0028908Recent violation
- West Salem Wastewater Treatment FacilityWest Salem · 1.1 mi away · NPDES WI0020389Recent violation
- Maple Grove Estates Sanitary DistrictHamilton · 1.4 mi away · NPDES WI0036552Recent violation
- Bangor Wastewater Treatment FacilityBangor · 4.6 mi away · NPDES WI0031224Recent 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 La Crosse County
Frequently asked questions about Neshonoc Lake
Where is Neshonoc Lake?
- Neshonoc Lake is a lake in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Neshonoc Lake?
- Neshonoc Lake in La Crosse County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.4 ft visibility. Surface area: 687 acres.
Is Neshonoc Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Neshonoc Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Neshonoc Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 9 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 687 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Neshonoc Lake?
- Neshonoc Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Neshonoc Swarthout Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Neshonoc Lake?
- Neshonoc Lake has 1 documented boat landing 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 Neshonoc Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement 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_WQX1 sample · 2022
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)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory