What are the Clearest Lakes in Wisconsin? 2019 Report

What are the clearest lakes in Wisconsin?  Every year, I consult with Wisconsin's state-wide citizen's lake monitoring group. They're a network of individuals, usually lake-front property owners who monitor and regularly take a variety of water samples from lakes all across Wisconsin.  The data they compile helps to give us a look at how our lakes are doing. 

One of the many tasks lake monitors perform is to take regular secchi disc readings. This is a universal way of assessing and comparing water clarity.  I'm always interested in knowing which Wisconsin inland lakes are the clearest.  Ordinarily, I rank the lakes that recorded the highest average water clarity for the previous year. This year, I'm looking at lakes that recorded the single highest secchi disc reading in 2019. Here are Wisconsin's clearest inland lakes and their highest single day water clarity readings taken in 2019:

1)   Pine Lake, Waukesha Co. 52 feet
2)   Lake Metonga, Forest Co. 37 feet
3)   Maiden Lake, Oconto Co. 35 feet
4)   Wazee Lake, Jackson Co. 34 feet
5)   Sugar Camp Lake, Oneida Co. 33 feet
6)   Whitefish Lake, Douglas Co. 31 feet
7)   Lake Lucerne, Forest Co. 31 feet
8)   Deer Lake, Polk Co. 30 feet
9)   Crystal Lake, Marquette Co. 29 feet
10) Stone Lake, Washburn Co. 29 feet
11) Lake Owen, Bayfield Co. 29 feet
12) Blue Lake, Oneida Co. 28 feet
13) Smoky Lake, Vilas Co. 28 feet
14) Millicent Lake, Bayfield Co. 28 feet
15) Big Portage Lake, Vilas Co. 28 feet

To see the lake list from 2018, click here. To see the lake list from 2017, click here. To see the lake list from 2016, click here.To see the lake list from 2015, click here.  To see the lake list from 2014, click here.  For the lake list from 2013, click here.  And for the 2012 list of clear lakes, click here.