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LakeQuality

Wisconsin Lake Water Quality

Water quality grades for 130 monitored lakes across 59 counties.

Only about 10% of Indiana's lakes pull an A grade — the smaller, agricultural-watershed lakes that dominate the dataset tend to carry persistent nutrient loads. 48% of lakes fall in the D or F brackets.

Eutrophic conditions dominate — nutrient-loaded, productive, with algal pressure that shows up most years in late summer. These lakes tend to be shallow, agricultural-watershed, and over-warmed by the time July ends. The cleanest county on average is Clay (grade A); the most-stressed is Huntington. The gap between the top and bottom counties is large enough that "Indiana lake water quality" hides real local variation.

A
13
Excellent
B
24
Good
C
31
Fair
D
25
Poor
F
37
Very Poor

Lake Map

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Reservoirs in Wisconsin

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49 of 130 Wisconsin lakes (38%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 47 carry a High or Significant hazard rating. The oldest matched dam dates to 1835.

Recreation (22)Water Supply (11)Flood Risk Reduction (10)Fish and Wildlife Pond (1)Other (1)

EPA-Impaired Lakes in Wisconsin

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49 of 130 Wisconsin lakes (38%) are officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. 1 have an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) restoration plan.

Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) (21)PCBs (21)Impaired biota (cause unknown) (7)Algal growth (5)Mercury (4)Taste, color, odor (3)Pathogens (E. coli, fecal) (2)

Counties

Top 25 Cleanest Lakes

RankLakeCountyGradeClarityMax Depth
1Wbu-07 LakeClayA18.9 ft-
2Umk-02 LakeLaPorteA15.5 ft-
3Wel-01 LakeWashingtonA15.6 ft-
4Middle Lagoon LakeLakeA--
5Wwl-06 LakeSullivanA10.3 ft-
6Umk-04 LakeLaPorteA12.8 ft-
7Wae-01 LakeWhitleyA11.3 ft-
8Wwu-11 LakeBooneA10.7 ft-
9Wem-09 LakeWashingtonA13 ft-
10Wed-01 LakeHenryA14.5 ft-
11Wem-08 LakeWashingtonA10 ft-
12Wde-01 LakeCassA12.3 ft-
13Lej020 LakeSteubenA10.7 ft-
14Lmj-11 LakeLaGrangeB9.3 ft-
15Lmg-02 LakeLaPorteB6.6 ft-
16Lake GeorgeSteubenB14.5 ft-
17Lmj-08 LakeLaGrangeB9.8 ft-
18Lmj-08 LakeSteubenB7.4 ft-
19Lmj-07 LakeSteubenB9 ft-
20Wwu-17 LakeMonroeB7.5 ft-
21Dewart LakeKosciuskoB10.2 ft-
22Oswego LakeKosciuskoB9.9 ft-
23Wwu180 LakeMonroeB8.5 ft-
24Wti-06 LakeStarkeB10.2 ft-
25Grand Calumet Lagoon LakeLakeB--

25 Lakes Needing Attention

RankLakeCountyGradeClarity
1Wlv180 LakeParkeF1.5 ft
2Wed-07 LakeJohnsonF3.3 ft
3Wem-07 LakeJenningsF2.8 ft
4Wmi-06 LakeMiamiF3.1 ft
5Wwu-08 LakeHamiltonF3.1 ft
6Lake LemonMonroeF2.1 ft
7Wel-11 LakeMartinF1.7 ft
8Wti060 LakeFultonF2.5 ft
9Waw-01 LakeHowardF1.5 ft
10Wsu-06 LakeMontgomeryF1.8 ft
11Weu-05 LakeJacksonF0.8 ft
12Wae-02 LakeAllenF2.3 ft
13Gmw-04 LakeFayetteF3.1 ft
14Wem-04 LakeJenningsF1.5 ft
15Ohp-06 LakePoseyF0.5 ft
16Umk-03 LakeSt. JosephF2.6 ft
17Wwl-10 LakePikeF1.8 ft
18Olp-09 LakeSpencerF1.6 ft
19Olp-09 LakeDuboisF1.7 ft
20Wti-04 LakeKosciuskoF3.1 ft
21Wae-05 LakeKosciuskoF2.5 ft
22Wuw-06 LakeWellsF3.3 ft
23Big Barbee LakeKosciuskoF3.1 ft
24Beaver Dam LakeKosciuskoF3.1 ft
25Pike LakeKosciuskoF1.9 ft

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.