Mead Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric Mead Lake fails the cutoffs — a TSI of 74 and persistent algal pressure put it in the bottom tier. The two scored sub-grades — clarity and phosphorus — track close together, so neither one is dragging the average down.

A TSI above 70 puts Mead Lake in hypereutrophic territory: visible blooms are common, and clarity rarely climbs even in early summer. A maximum depth of 16 ft puts Mead Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. The lake's 310 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. Mead Lake ranks 2 of 4 in Clark County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

An invasive species record — Curly-Leaf Pondweed — has been logged at Mead Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 5 documented species — a notable draw for Wisconsin anglers. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.