Ludden Lake

Ludden Lake pulls a D on the LakeGrade rubric — phosphorus loading and limited clarity hold it below the Wisconsin average. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. At only 14 ft deep, Ludden Lake is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. Ludden Lake is small — 56 acres alongside partial shoreline records — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Within the 6 graded lakes of Iowa County, Ludden Lake sits at rank 6, near the bottom of the county list.

An invasive species record — Curly-Leaf Pondweed — has been logged at Ludden Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. The fishery is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. 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.