Margaret Lake

Margaret Lake sits at a C on the grading scale — not impaired, not pristine, with summer measurements that vary year to year. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI near 47 places Margaret Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. A maximum depth of just 14 ft means sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the water column whenever wind stirs the bottom — a classic shallow-lake dynamic. At 86 acres, Margaret Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Margaret Lake ranks 127 of 140 in Oneida County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Margaret Lake has no invasive species recorded in Wisconsin state databases as of 2019, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Walleye are documented at Margaret Lake, one of 5 fish species on record for the lake. 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.