Porcupine Lake
Oconto County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Porcupine Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
Porcupine Lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility.
Porcupine Lake is a lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2023-07-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Porcupine Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Porcupine 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 Porcupine Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Porcupine 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 10.5 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | 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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Porcupine Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Stays near Porcupine Lake
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Fishing Porcupine Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Porcupine Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Petersons Dairy LlcLena, Town Of · 2.8 mi away · NPDES WI0066150
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 Oconto County
Frequently asked questions about Porcupine Lake
Where is Porcupine Lake?
- Porcupine Lake is a lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Porcupine Lake?
- Porcupine Lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility.
Is Porcupine Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Porcupine Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX4 samples · 2022–2023
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.
Other records on this page
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)