Washburn Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Washburn Lake pulls an A: clarity at 23.8 ft and 19 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake's low TSI puts it in oligotrophic territory — the cleanest of the four trophic classes, but also the most vulnerable to nutrient-driven shifts. A maximum depth of 27 ft puts Washburn Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. At 85 acres, Washburn Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Among the 140 graded lakes in Oneida County, Washburn Lake sits at rank 68, above the county median.

An invasive species record — Chinese Mystery Snail — has been logged at Washburn Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. The fishery is bass-led, with 2 documented species across the lake's records. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.