Butternut Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Butternut Lake at a C: clarity at 4.0 ft, 36 µg/L of phosphorus, and a TSI of 56 signal an intermediate trophic state. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. Butternut Lake reaches 32 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 983 acres, Butternut Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Butternut Lake ranks 11 of 27 in Price County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

An invasive species record — Banded Mystery Snail — has been logged at Butternut Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. Walleye are documented at Butternut Lake, one of 7 fish species on record for the lake. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.