Lake Ell Lake

On the scoring rubric Lake Ell Lake grades a D: clarity at 3.5 ft and phosphorus readings still being added keep it in the lower bracket for Portage County. 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.

At a TSI of 59, Lake Ell Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. 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 28 graded lakes of Portage County, Lake Ell Lake sits at rank 26, 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.