Aldridge Lake

On the scoring rubric Aldridge Lake grades a D: clarity at 4.9 ft and phosphorus readings still being added keep it in the lower bracket for Vilas County. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. At only 12 ft deep, Aldridge Lake is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. At 142 acres, Aldridge Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Within the 191 graded lakes of Vilas County, Aldridge Lake sits at rank 178, near the bottom of the county list.

Aldridge Lake has at least one documented invasive species (Chinese Mystery Snail), so boaters and anglers should observe clean-drain-dry steps when leaving the lake. Walleye are documented at Aldridge Lake, one of 4 fish species on record for the lake. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.