Lower Mckenzie Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Lower Mckenzie Lake pulls an A: clarity at 36.1 ft and 19 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for 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. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. The lake's surface area is not consistently recorded across state datasets — physical context remains partial. Among the 48 graded lakes in Washburn County, Lower Mckenzie Lake sits at rank 18, above the county median.

Lower Mckenzie Lake has no invasive species recorded in Wisconsin state databases as of 2025, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Lower Mckenzie Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.