Squash Lake

Squash Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Oneida County. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

Trophically, Squash Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. Squash Lake is unusually deep for Wisconsin at 74 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. At 398 acres, Squash Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Within Oneida County's 134 graded waters, Squash Lake sits at rank 5, near the top of the local distribution.

Eurasian watermilfoil is established at Squash Lake, which can dampen recreational access and pressure the native plant community. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 6 documented species — a notable draw for Wisconsin anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. 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.