Hawthorne Hills South Pond

Hawthorne Hills South Pond 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.

The hypereutrophic status — TSI 80 — reflects sustained heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed and frequent algal pressure. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. The lake's surface area is not consistently recorded across state datasets — physical context remains partial. Within the 23 graded lakes of Dane County, Hawthorne Hills South Pond sits at rank 22, near the bottom of the county list.

No invasive species are currently listed at Hawthorne Hills South Pond — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Hawthorne Hills South Pond, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. 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.