Townsend Flowage Lake
Oconto County, Wisconsin476 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Townsend Flowage Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 52 ft max depth
- Public access
Townsend Flowage Lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 14.3 µg/L. Surface area: 476 acres.
Townsend Flowage Lake is a 476-acre mesotrophic lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 52 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 38 other monitored lakes in Oconto County, Townsend Flowage Lake ranks #31 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Townsend Flowage Lake covers about 480 acres in Oconto County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Townsend Flowage Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Townsend Flowage Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Townsend Flowage 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 Townsend Flowage Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Townsend Flowage 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 14.3 µg/L. TSI 43.
| 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 | 14.3µg/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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Townsend Flowage 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 Townsend Flowage 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).
- 2016Townsend Lake comprehensive survey, 2016Comprehensive Survey · WI DNR · 2016 (PDF)
Lake Details
Max depth
~52 ft est.
Surface area
476 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 Townsend Flowage Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
10 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,319 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
- Townsend FlowagePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Townsend Flowage Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Townsend Flowage Lake in Oconto 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 Townsend Flowage Lake
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Fishing Townsend Flowage Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).
Water clarity
Stable7 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.1 µg/L/yr7 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Townsend Flowage Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Wheeler (completed 1880), built primarily for recreation on the MCCASLIN BROOK; gravity-type dam, 20 ft tall and 200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 476 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,900 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,300 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 32 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Oconto County
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WI00164 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Oconto County
Frequently asked questions about Townsend Flowage Lake
Where is Townsend Flowage Lake?
- Townsend Flowage 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 Townsend Flowage Lake?
- Townsend Flowage Lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 14.3 µg/L. Surface area: 476 acres.
Is Townsend Flowage Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Townsend Flowage Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Townsend Flowage Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 52 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 476 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Townsend Flowage Lake?
- Townsend Flowage Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Townsend Flowage. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Townsend Flowage Lake?
- Townsend Flowage 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 Townsend Flowage Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
23 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX23 samples · 2020–2026
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.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory