Red Cedar Lake

Red Cedar Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Wisconsin lake of its size and depth. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Red Cedar Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. Red Cedar Lake covers 344 acres alongside partial shoreline records — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Within Jefferson County's 8 graded lakes, Red Cedar Lake ranks 6 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

An invasive species record — Purple Loosestrife — has been logged at Red Cedar Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. 1 fish species are documented at Red Cedar Lake, a mixed warm-water community typical for Wisconsin lakes of this size. A documented public access point at Red Cedar Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.