Taylor
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Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Clarke Lake, in the Upper South Fork Jump River Watershed, is a 12.82 acre lake that falls in Taylor County. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
Source: 1970, Surface Water Resources of Taylor County Clarke Lake, T32N, R1E, Section 21
An acid, bog lake located on an intermittent feeder to the Mondeaux River. It is connected to Horseshoe Lake by a six-foot wide, 300-foot long navigable channel. The fish population includes northern pike, largemouth bass, perch, bluegill, black crappie, rock bass, pumpkinseed, black bullheads, and brown bullheads. Shoreline vegetation is predominantly leatherleaf and tamarack, but there are two areas of upland hardwood and one of pasture. The littoral bottom is approximately 70 percent muck, 20 percent sand, and 10 percent rock. Aquatic plants present include, cattail, white and yellow water lilies, water shield, smartweed, coontail, and bladderwort. Migratory waterfowl use is minor, but blue-winged teal and wood ducks use the lakeshore for nesting. Muskrat and beaver use is significant. Public frontage amounts to 0.16 miles of Chequamegon National Forest land located on the northeast shore. There is no private development. Public access is a wilderness type trail over forest land, and by navigable water from Horseshoe Lake.
Surface Acres = 12.3, Maximum Depth = 19 feet, M.P.A. = 8 ppm, Secchi Disk = 4 feet
Date 1970
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
Condition
Wisconsin has over 84,000 miles of streams, 15,000 lakes and milllions of acres of wetlands. Assessing the condition of this vast amount of water is challenging. The state's water monitoring program uses a media-based, cross-program approach to analyze water condition. An updated monitoring strategy (2015-2020) is now available. Compliance with Clean Water Act fishable, swimmable standards are located in the Executive Summary of Water Condition in 2018. See also the 'monitoring and projects' tab.
Reports
Management Goals
Wisconsin's Water Quality Standards provide qualitative and quantitative goals for waters that are protective of Fishable, Swimmable conditions [Learn more]. Waters that do not meet water quality standards are considered impaired and restoration actions are planned and carried out until the water is once again fishable and swimmable
Management goals can include creation or implementation of a Total Maximum Daily Load analysis, a Nine Key Element Plan, or other restoration work, education and outreach and more. If specific recommendations exist for this water, they will be displayed below online.
Monitoring
Monitoring the condition of a river, stream, or lake includes gathering physical, chemical, biological, and habitat data. Comprehensive studies often gather all these parameters in great detail, while lighter assessment events will involve sampling physical, chemical and biological data such as macroinvertebrates. Aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish communities integrate watershed or catchment condition, providing great insight into overall ecosystem health. Chemical and habitat parameters tell researchers more about human induced problems including contaminated runoff, point source dischargers, or habitat issues that foster or limit the potential of aquatic communities to thrive in a given area. Wisconsin's Water Monitoring Strategy was recenty updated.
Grants and Management Projects
| Project Name (Click for Details) | Year Started |
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Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
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| 2195300 | Clarke Lake | 10005905 | Clarke Lake | 8/29/2000 | 8/17/2013 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Clarke Lake is located in the Upper South Fork Jump River watershed which is 322.41 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (56.60%), wetland (34.60%) and a mix of grassland (5.20%) and other uses (3.50%). This watershed has 396.77 stream miles, 1,735.99 lake acres and 55,733.47 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Medium for runoff impacts on streams, Low for runoff impacts on lakes and Low for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of Low. This value can be used in ranking the watershed or individual waterbodies for grant funding under state and county programs.However, all waters are affected by diffuse pollutant sources regardless of initial water quality. Applications for specific runoff projects under state or county grant programs may be pursued. For more information, go to surface water program grants.