Gates Lake

Gates Lake sits at a C on the grading scale — not impaired, not pristine, with summer measurements that vary year to year. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. At 87 acres, Gates Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Among the 27 graded lakes in Price County, Gates Lake sits at rank 9, above the county median.

No invasive species are currently listed at Gates Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 2, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. 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.