Long Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Long Lake pulls an A: clarity at 32.8 ft and 12 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

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. At 101 ft of maximum depth, Long Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. At 936 acres, Long Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Within Chippewa County's 16 graded waters, Long Lake sits at rank 1, near the top of the local distribution.

An invasive species record — Banded Mystery Snail — has been logged at Long Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 6 documented species — a notable draw for Wisconsin anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.