What is the water quality grade for Wilson Lake?

Wilson Lake in Taylor County, Wisconsin received a water quality grade of F (Very Poor). Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 48.3 µg/L. Surface area: 16.5 acres.

Is Wilson Lake safe to swim in?

Avoid swimming, very poor water quality, potential algae toxins. Wilson Lake has an overall water quality grade of F. Algae concentration (chlorophyll-a) is 48.3 µg/L. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

Wilson Lake

Taylor County, WisconsinEutrophic

Wilson Lake is a 17-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Taylor County, IA. Water quality is graded F based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Taylor County, Wilson Lake ranks #2 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, local state DNR records, last sampled 2024-10-01. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Swimming Safety

Avoid swimming, very poor water quality, potential algae toxins

Water Quality Grade: F, Very Poor

Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility. Chlorophyll-a: 48.3 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 70.

Metric	Value	Grade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)	1.6 ft	F
Phosphorus	No data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)	48.3 µg/L	F
Trophic State Index (TSI)	70	Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

Characteristic	Value
Surface Area	16.5 acres

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #2 of 4 lakes in Taylor County

Cleaner Lakes Within 30 Miles

Wilson Lake holds Grade F. 2 nearby lakes hold higher grades.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in Taylor County

Sands Timber Lake

Taylor County

Lake of Three Fires Max Depth

More Wisconsin Lake Rankings

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Top 25 by overall water quality score

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Other Grade F Lakes in Wisconsin

Big Creek Lake

Polk County · Clarity: 2.6 ft

Arrowhead Lake

Pottawattamie County · Clarity: 1.8 ft

White Oak Lake

Mahaska County · Clarity: 1.4 ft

Crystal Lake Max Depth

Hancock County · Clarity: 1.6 ft

Hannen Lake

Benton County · Clarity: 1.2 ft

Briggs Woods Lake

Hamilton County · Clarity: 1.5 ft

Eutrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Big Creek Lake Storm Lake Max Depth Lost Island Lake Nodaway Lake

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Wilson Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Wilson Lake Dam (completed 1967), built primarily for recreation on the TR-EAST 102 RIVER; earth-type dam, 29 ft tall and 970 ft long.

Surface area: 16.5 ac
Normal storage: 142 ac-ft
Max storage: 204 ac-ft
Drainage area: 0.36 sq mi
Hazard class: Low
Owner: Taylor County Conservation Board

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01057 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Wilson Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Turbidity

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 05-PLA-1477 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.19 km)

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Most recent sample: 2024-10-01

Monitoring stations: 1