Long Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Long Lake pulls an A: clarity at 13.0 ft and 12 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. The two scored sub-grades — clarity and phosphorus — track close together, so neither one is dragging the average down.

A TSI near 40 places Long Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. The lake's 76 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Wisconsin — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. The lake's 112 acres and partial shoreline records put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Among the 25 graded lakes in Waupaca County, Long Lake sits at rank 8, above the county median.

Zebra mussel presence at Long Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. Walleye are documented at Long Lake, one of 7 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.