Washburn Lake

Washburn Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Wisconsin lake of its size and depth. The lake's weakest score is on Secchi depth — the water looks more turbid than its phosphorus number alone would predict.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. 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 134 graded lakes in Oneida County, Washburn Lake sits at rank 51, 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.