Sawyer
No
Yes
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Nelson Lake, in the Totagatic River Watershed, is a 2,715.93 acre lake that falls in Sawyer County. This lake is an outstanding/exceptional resource water under NR102 under the Fisheries Program. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently considered impaired.
Date 2014
Author Ashley Beranek
Historical Description
Nelson Lake is a 2503 acre impoundment on the Totagatic River. This lake has an excellent
fishery and good water quality and has been nominated for "ORW classification. Nelson Lake
exhibits the basin irregularity, vegetated bays and flooded stumps and log habitat typical of a
flowage. Additional water quality monitoring, vegetation and habitat mapping and long range
lake management planning would be desireable for this waterbody.
Date 1992
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
Impaired Waters
Nelson Lake was evaluated for phosphorus and algae in 2014. Phosphorus levels were found to be too high, which was reflected in algal blooms.
Date 2014
Author Ashley Beranek
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
Recommendations
Land Acquisition
Big Island Land Acquisition, Sawyer County must comply with the conditions of the "Long Term Land Management Plan" for this property as listed in the project description as attached to the Project Application (Form 8700-240) for this Lake Protection Grant.
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
Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
|---|
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 583211 | Nelson Lake - Nelson Lake | | | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10029247 | Nelson Lake -- Access at White Manor (Resort) | 5/5/2007 | 6/13/2008 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10029248 | Nelson Lake -- Access at Revelle's (Resort) | | | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10044708 | Nelson Lake deep area near dam | 1/27/2016 | 1/27/2016 | Map | Data |
| 5506079 | Unnamed | 10029252 | Nelson Lake -- Access at Sunrise Bay (Resort) | 7/30/2010 | 7/30/2010 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10029252 | Nelson Lake -- Access at Sunrise Bay (Resort) | 7/30/2010 | 7/30/2010 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10029250 | Nelson Lake -- Access at Four Seasons (Resort) | | | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 583170 | Nelson Lake - Site C West Basin | 11/15/1980 | 9/7/2024 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 583169 | Nelson Lake - Site B East Basin | 8/13/2001 | 9/11/2024 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10029245 | Nelson Lake -- Access at Dam | 12/27/2010 | 12/27/2010 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10018856 | Nelson Lake -- Gerlachs Landing | 9/11/2004 | 10/10/2024 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10029244 | Nelson Lake -- Small Road Landing | 7/30/2010 | 12/27/2010 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 583168 | Nelson Lake - Site A Deep Hole | 8/13/2001 | 9/11/2024 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10029249 | Nelson Lake -- Access at Birch Point (Resort) | | | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10002492 | Nelson Lake | 4/21/1980 | 3/12/2024 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10040715 | Nelson Lake - Park Boat Access | 6/29/2013 | 10/26/2024 | Map | Data |
| 2704200 | Nelson Lake | 10018855 | Nelson Lake -- Access at Tag-Alder Rd. (East side of Lake) | 5/8/2005 | 9/30/2018 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Nelson Lake is located in the Totagatic River watershed which is 329.93 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (70.70%), wetland (22.10%) and a mix of open (5%) and other uses (2.00%). This watershed has 275.08 stream miles, 6,681.38 lake acres and 42,970.25 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Not Ranked for runoff impacts on streams, Not Ranked 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.This water is ranked High Lake for individual Unknowns based on runoff problems and the likelihood of success from project implementation.