Silver Creek Estuary Lake

Silver Creek Estuary Lake grades an F: water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate poorly, placing it among the most stressed lakes monitored 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.

A TSI above 70 puts Silver Creek Estuary Lake in hypereutrophic territory: visible blooms are common, and clarity rarely climbs even in early summer. At 236 ft of maximum depth, Silver Creek Estuary Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. Silver Creek Estuary Lake covers 7,920 acres alongside partial shoreline records, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Within the 13 graded lakes of Green Lake County, Silver Creek Estuary Lake sits at rank 12, near the bottom of the county list.

Silver Creek Estuary 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 Silver Creek Estuary Lake, one of 7 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Silver Creek Estuary 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.