Little Pigeon Lake

Little Pigeon Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Wisconsin lake of its size and depth. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. Little Pigeon Lake is a shallow lake at 15 ft maximum depth, which means it warms quickly, mixes constantly, and amplifies nutrient inputs. At 8 acres, Little Pigeon Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Little Pigeon Lake sits at rank 12 of 18 in Manitowoc County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Eurasian watermilfoil has been documented at Little Pigeon Lake, requiring shoreline management to keep dense mats from crowding native vegetation. The fishery is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.