General Facts about Wisconsin Lakes

WISCONSIN LAKES-PUB-FM-800 99Rev.

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Wisconsin is a state rich in lakes. It's approximately 15,000 lakes range in size from small one-and two-acre spring ponds to 137,708-acre Lake Winnebago. Due to variations in chemical and biological composition, physical characteristics, and diversity of origin, each lake should be considered unique.

Of the 15,057 documented lakes in Wisconsin, only about 40 percent have actually been named. The majority of the unnamed lakes are very small, less than 10 acres. Most lakes are in the northern and eastern parts of the state dotting the path of the glaciers. The unglaciated region, or Driftless Area, of southwestern Wisconsin has very few lakes by comparison.

About 3,620 of the state's lakes are larger than 20 acres, constituting more than 93 percent of the surface area of Wisconsin's inland lakes. The total inland lake surface acreage in the state approaches one million acres. Figure 2 shows the relative percent of lakes in different size categories in Wisconsin.

The depth of Wisconsin's natural inland lakes also varies a great deal, ranging from a few feet to a maximum depth of 236 feet in Green Lake (Big Green) in Green Lake County.

In addition to the inland lakes, portions of Lakes Michigan and Superior lie within Wisconsin's boundaries. These Great Lakes are two of the largest freshwater bodies in the world, and they add nearly 6.5 million acres of water to Wisconsin.

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Produced by: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Watershed Management
More information on this topic: James Vennie, Limnologist, (608)266-2212

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