Spring Lake

Spring Lake pulls a D on the LakeGrade rubric — phosphorus loading and limited clarity hold it below the Wisconsin average. With clarity and phosphorus scored, the sub-grades cluster within a letter of each other, pointing to stable conditions rather than one specific stressor.

At a TSI of 68, Spring Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. A maximum depth of 32 ft puts Spring Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. At 27 acres, Spring Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Spring Lake sits at rank 6 of 10 in Columbia County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Eurasian watermilfoil is established at Spring Lake, which can dampen recreational access and pressure the native plant community. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 3, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. 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.