Dowling Lake

Dowling Lake earns a C — middle-of-the-pack water quality, with one or two parameters dragging the average down from a stronger grade. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

At a TSI of 54, Dowling Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. A maximum depth of just 13 ft means sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the water column whenever wind stirs the bottom — a classic shallow-lake dynamic. Dowling Lake covers 141 acres alongside partial shoreline records — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Within Douglas County's 40 graded lakes, Dowling Lake ranks 29 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

An invasive species record — Curly-Leaf Pondweed — has been logged at Dowling Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. Walleye are documented at Dowling Lake, one of 5 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Dowling Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.