Peters Lake

Peters Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Wisconsin lake of its size and depth. Secchi readings are the weakest of the three parameters, suggesting suspended sediment or algal biomass dominates the optical signal.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Peters Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of just 8 ft means sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the water column whenever wind stirs the bottom — a classic shallow-lake dynamic. The lake is compact at 58 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Among the 35 graded lakes in Walworth County, Peters Lake sits at rank 17, above the county median.

Eurasian watermilfoil is established at Peters Lake, which can dampen recreational access and pressure the native plant community. The fishery is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.