Little Newton Lake

Little Newton Lake sits at the top of the Wisconsin DNR grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Wisconsin. The two scored sub-grades — clarity and phosphorus — track close together, so neither one is dragging the average down.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. Little Newton Lake is unusually deep for Wisconsin at 53 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. The lake is compact at 59 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Among the 21 graded lakes in Marinette County, Little Newton Lake sits at rank 9, above the county median.

Eurasian watermilfoil has been documented at Little Newton Lake, requiring shoreline management to keep dense mats from crowding native vegetation. Walleye are documented at Little Newton Lake, one of 4 fish species on record for the lake. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.