Bass Lake Pump Site

On the LakeGrade rubric, Bass Lake Pump Site pulls an A: clarity at 29.6 ft and 15 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI value of 36 puts Bass Lake Pump Site in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. Bass Lake Pump Site reaches 33 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. The lake's 370 acres and partial shoreline records put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Among the 7 graded lakes in St. Croix County, Bass Lake Pump Site sits at rank 2, above the county median.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Bass Lake Pump Site, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 4 documented species — a notable draw for Wisconsin anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. 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.