Old Taylor Lake

Old Taylor Lake sits at the top of the Wisconsin DNR grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Wisconsin. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

Trophically, Old Taylor Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. The lake bottoms out at 17 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Old Taylor Lake is small — 42 acres alongside partial shoreline records — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Within Waupaca County's 27 graded lakes, Old Taylor Lake ranks 19 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

No invasive species are currently listed at Old Taylor Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. 1 fish species are documented at Old Taylor Lake, a mixed warm-water community typical for Wisconsin lakes of this size. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.