Wazee Lake

Wazee Lake sits at the top of the Wisconsin DNR grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes 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.

Trophically, Wazee Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. At 350 ft of maximum depth, Wazee Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. At 146 acres, Wazee Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Among the 4 graded lakes in Jackson County, Wazee Lake sits at rank 2, above the county median.

Eurasian watermilfoil is established at Wazee Lake, which can dampen recreational access and pressure the native plant community. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Wazee Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. 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.