Park Lake
Columbia County, Wisconsin312 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Park Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 39 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Park Lake in Columbia County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 82.4 µg/L. Surface area: 312 acres.
Park Lake is a 312-acre lake in Columbia County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 39 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. 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 2020-07-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Park Lake covers about 310 acres in Columbia County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Park Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Park 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 Park 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 Park Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Park Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 82.4 µg/L. TSI 68.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 82.4µg/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. | 68 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Park 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 Park Lake covering fish populations, stocking, water quality, and management. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- 2021Comprehensive fishery survey of Park Lake, 2021Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2021 (PDF)
- 2011Park Lake comprehensive survey 2011Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2011 (PDF)
Lake Details
Max depth
~39 ft est.
Surface area
312 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 Park Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
55 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
804 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
- Park Lake County 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 Park Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Park Lake in Columbia 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 Park Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Park Lake’s readings
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Fishing Park Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Stable-1.6 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Park Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pardeeville (completed 1849), built primarily for recreation on the FOX R.; gravity-type dam, 16 ft tall and 230 ft long.
- Surface area
- 312 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,050 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,300 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 56 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Village Of Pardeeville
All listed purposes: Recreation;Hydroelectric.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WI00113 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Columbia County
Frequently asked questions about Park Lake
Where is Park Lake?
- Park Lake is a lake in Columbia County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Park Lake?
- Park Lake in Columbia County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 82.4 µg/L. Surface area: 312 acres.
Is Park Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Park Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Park Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 39 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 312 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Park Lake?
- Park Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Park Lake County Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Park Lake?
- Park 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 Park Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX1 sample · 2020
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory