Giltners Lake

Giltners Lake grades an F: water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate poorly, placing it among the most stressed lakes monitored in Wisconsin. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

Hypereutrophic conditions mean the lake is operating at the upper end of the productivity scale, with all the bloom risk that implies. 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. At 16 acres, Giltners Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Within the 10 graded lakes of Fond du Lac County, Giltners Lake sits at rank 10, near the bottom of the county list.

No invasive species are currently listed at Giltners Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. The lake's fish records list 2 species — a varied community without one dominant gamefish. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.