Ashland
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Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Sells Lake, in the East Fork Chippewa River Watershed, is a 14.68 acre lake that falls in Ashland County. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
Source: 1966, Surface Water Resources of Ashland County Sells Lake, T42N, R1W, Sections 8, 9
A hard water, drainage lake on the East Fork of the Chippewa River. The normal outlet flow is estimated to be 40.0 cubic feet per second. The predominant fish population is minnows with fourteen different species represented. Fish species of minor importance are muskellunge, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, brook and brown trout. Lakeshore vegetation varies between pastured upland of hardwoods, conifer, and grasses, to wetlands of mixed hardwoods, dogwood, willow, tag alder, and fresh meadow. About seventy-five percent of the lake bottom is sandy with the remainder gravel, rock or muck. The most common aquatic vegetation includes stands of equisetum and water celery, and beds of yellow water lily, eel grass, pondweeds and nitella. Muskrat use is significant while beaver are usually absent. Nesting waterfowl include mallards, black ducks, blue-winged teal, wood ducks, and hooded mergansers. There is a moderate amount of duck and coot use during migratory seasons. It is accessible only by private access off the town road on the north end. Private development consists of two farm homes . and public frontage is lacking.
Surface Acres = 16.2, Maximum Depth = 5 feet, M.P.A. = 67 ppm, Secchi Disk = Bottom
Date 1966
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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| 2409700 | Sells Lake | 10000594 | Sells Lake | 8/29/2000 | 9/15/2012 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Sells Lake is located in the East Fork Chippewa River watershed which is 305.16 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (63.90%), wetland (32.70%) and a mix of grassland (1.60%) and other uses (1.70%). This watershed has 310.53 stream miles, 2,431.41 lake acres and 65,073.81 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Not Ranked 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.