Mccrossen Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Mccrossen Lake pulls an A: clarity at 33.8 ft and phosphorus readings still being added 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.

A TSI value of 26 puts Mccrossen Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. The lake's 75 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Wisconsin — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. At 31 acres, Mccrossen Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Mccrossen Lake sits at rank 16 of 27 in Waupaca County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Mccrossen Lake is on the Wisconsin infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. Walleye are documented at Mccrossen 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.