Dexter Lake

Dexter Lake earns an F: 483 µg/L of phosphorus and clarity at 1.5 ft signal heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI above 70 puts Dexter Lake in hypereutrophic territory: visible blooms are common, and clarity rarely climbs even in early summer. Dexter Lake reaches 17 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. The lake's 287 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. Within the 4 graded lakes of Wood County, Dexter Lake sits at rank 4, near the bottom of the county list.

An invasive species record — Chinese Mystery Snail — has been logged at Dexter Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. Walleye are documented at Dexter Lake, one of 5 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.