Little Round Lake

Little Round Lake sits at the top of the Wisconsin DNR grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Wisconsin. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake's low TSI puts it in oligotrophic territory — the cleanest of the four trophic classes, but also the most vulnerable to nutrient-driven shifts. Little Round Lake reaches 38 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 179 acres, Little Round Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Among the 52 graded lakes in Sawyer County, Little Round Lake sits at rank 21, above the county median.

Eurasian watermilfoil is established at Little Round Lake, which can dampen recreational access and pressure the native plant community. Walleye are documented at Little Round Lake, one of 6 fish species on record for the lake. Multiple sampling years from the Wisconsin DNR Citizen Lake Monitoring Network back the grade, so the letter should hold steady absent a major watershed shift.