Lake Ell Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Lake Ell Lake grades a B, with clarity at 11.5 ft and phosphorus readings still being added placing it above the Wisconsin median. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

A TSI near 42 places Lake Ell Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. Lake Ell Lake reaches 20 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. The lake is compact at 23 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Within the 29 graded lakes of Portage County, Lake Ell Lake sits at rank 24, near the bottom of the county list.

No invasive species are currently listed at Lake Ell Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Lake Ell Lake, 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.