White Potato Lake and Pound, Wisconsin: What to Know Before You Buy Nearby

When someone calls me about land near Pound, the lake is usually the first thing they ask about. How big is it, what is in it, and how close is close?

I am Kathryn Conard with Venture North Real Estate Co, and I sell land, cabins and lake homes across Oconto and Marinette counties. Here is what the public records say about White Potato Lake, and what I tell buyers to check for themselves.

Pound is a small community in Oconto County, Wisconsin. White Potato Lake sits in the Town of Brazeau, and South White Potato Lake Road follows part of the shoreline. Parkway Road, where I have lots listed, runs a short way back from the water in the same town.

For groceries and a first meal, the closest town I send people to is Crivitz. It is worth driving that route once before you decide, so you know what a normal errand looks like. You can read more about Crivitz and the surrounding area on this site.

The Oconto County Lakes Project describes White Potato Lake as a 1,023-acre seepage lake with a maximum depth of 11 feet. The Wisconsin DNR's lake page gives the same acreage. A seepage lake gets most of its water from groundwater, with some from surface runoff and rain.

That makes it a big, shallow lake. If you picture a deep, cold Northwoods lake, this is not that, and it is worth knowing before you fall for it.

The DNR's lake page lists muskellunge, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed and perch. That list comes from an older survey, so check the DNR's current fish information and regulations before you plan a weekend around a certain species.

The county's study also notes that oxygen in the water can get very low by late winter, so the lake may be susceptible to fish kills. I would rather you hear that from me than discover it later.

The county study covered 2019 and 2020. Total phosphorus stayed below the Wisconsin state standard of 40 micrograms per liter, and the measure of algae stayed below its threshold. Over the long term, water clarity shows an increasing trend.

A 2018 plant survey found 26 species, and none of them were invasive. The study also lists four invasive species as previously documented in the lake: Chinese mystery snail, Eurasian watermilfoil, purple loosestrife and rusty crayfish. If you bring a boat, clean it and drain it every time you leave the water.

The county study counts six public boat launches around the lake. The DNR's access record lists some township landings with parking and some without, so look at the specific landing before you count on it. If a boat is part of your plan, visit the landing you would actually use.

Riders ask me about trails almost as often as they ask about the lake. Oconto County says it has over 110 miles of ATV trails in the County Forest. Riding is restricted to that trail system and to private land with the owner's permission, and the trails are open as posted.

Town and village road rules are separate, and they differ from place to place. The county's page does not mention UTVs, so ask which routes allow yours before you plan a ride. The Oconto County Forest and Park Administrator at 920-834-6995 can send you the current trail map. I do not tell buyers how close a particular property is to a trail unless the listing says so and I have checked it.

This is the part that trips people up. A property can be minutes from a boat landing and still have no water frontage at all. Ask which one you are looking at. If a listing says near the lake, the question to ask back is what you actually own and what you are only close to.

Wisconsin has shoreland zoning rules, and they can apply within 1,000 feet of a lake. Before you plan anything on land near White Potato Lake, talk to Oconto County Planning and Zoning. The recorded plat for the Parkway Road lots says the same thing.

For any land, I also walk buyers through the questions people forget: water, waste, utilities, the survey and winter access. My post on questions to ask before you buy a Northwoods cabin covers the same ground, and so does the one on internet in the Northwoods.

I have a group of lots on Parkway Road in Pound, in the Town of Brazeau. They are about an acre each, level and open, close to White Potato Lake. None of them has water frontage, so I describe them as close to the lake, not on it. They are subject to recorded protective covenants: storage garages for personal use are allowed, and single-family homes are allowed if Town sewer becomes available. Those covenants do not apply to Lot 12, which is listed separately. The lot map and details are here, and the rest of my land listings are on this site.

If you are weighing land near Pound, or a place on the water, I am glad to walk it with you. Read about waterfront and lake homes and cabins and second homes, then send me a message or call (920) 621-6719. No pressure. We will figure out what you are really buying first.

Sources: Wisconsin DNR, White Potato Lake page; Oconto County Lakes Project, White Potato Lake Summary (2019 to 2020 study); Oconto County ATV Trails page; recorded plat for Lakeview Estates, Oconto County.