Butternut Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Butternut Lake grades a B, with clarity at 13.1 ft and 36 µg/L of phosphorus placing it above the Wisconsin median. 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.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Butternut Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. 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. Within Price County's 26 graded lakes, Butternut Lake ranks 17 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

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.