Balsam Lake Water Quality Trend
Polk County, Wisconsin · 2019–2025 · 7 years of data
Balsam Lake water quality has been stable over the 7-year window from 2019–2025, based on EPA Water Quality Portal samples. The lake holds an overall Grade A today.
Water Clarity (Secchi)
↑ ImprovingPhosphorus
↓ DecliningChlorophyll-a
Insufficient data (0 years, need 4+).
How to read this
- Clarity (Secchi depth): deeper visibility is better. An upward line means the water is getting clearer.
- Phosphorus & Chlorophyll-a: lower is better. A downward line means fewer nutrients fueling algae growth.
- Year-to-year variability is normal. Weather, sample timing, and short-window data all add noise. Look at direction, not single-year jumps.
Methodology
Each metric is calculated from EPA Water Quality Portal samples. Annual values are the median of all samples taken that year. The trend direction comes from a linear regression of those annual medians; we classify it as improving, declining, or stable when the change-per-year is below 2% of the long-run mean. The current cache spans roughly 2019–2025, which is a short window for climate-scale claims. Use this page to spot direction and as a launch point — link out to the EPA WQP for the raw record before citing as evidence.