Fond Du Lac
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Historical Description
Source: 1969, Surface Water Resources of Fond du Lac County Mauthe Lake, T13N, R19E, Sections 11, 12 Surface Acres = 63, S.D.F. = 2.25, Maximum Depth = 22 feet.
This relatively shallow, marsh-bog edged lake is the heart of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, with the Kettle Moraine State Forest Headquarters located on the west shore, and an intensively developed camping, swimming, picnic area located on the east shore. All the shoreline is publicly owned. The inlet is the East Branch Milwaukee River, which flows from Long Lake, five miles upstream. There is a fixed-spillway dam (head of 3 feet) on the outlet which maintains a constant water level in the lake. The water is slightly brown-stained, and algae blooms appear to be more frequent in the past few years. Vegetation is moderately abundant, with a narrow band of water lily around most of the lake, except in the artificially developed swimming area. Muskrats are common, with some puddle ducks such as bluewing teal and wood duck nesting in association with the estimated 40 acres of adjoining wetland. No hunting is allowed on the lake. Since 1955, there has been no closed season, size limit, or bag limit of fish on the lake. Primary game fish are northern pike, largemouth bass, and walleye, with the major panfish being black crappie, bluegill, and perch. Carp are present, but do not constitute a problem at the time. Use of outboard motors on the lake is prohibited. Several plantings of northern pike and walleye have been made in recent years to evaluate their effect on fishing. A fishing pier in the public use area is very popular, and 20 large trees have been placed on the shoreline of the lake in two locations to serve as fish concentration and harvest areas.
Date 1969
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
General Condition
Mauthe Lake Beach, Kettle Moraine SF - Northern Unit was assessed for the 2018 listing cycle; E. coli data sample data were clearly below the 2018 WisCALM listing thresholds for the Recreation use. This beach was meeting this designated use and was not considered impaired.
Date 2017
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
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 |
|---|
| 38200 | Mauthe Lake | 10002458 | Mauthe Lake | 6/1/1993 | 7/12/2023 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Mauthe Lake is located in the East and West Branches Milwaukee River watershed which is 266.00 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (35.50%), wetland (19.20%) and a mix of forest (17.90%) and other uses (27.40%). This watershed has 312.44 stream miles, 2,023.13 lake acres and 32,107.47 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked High for runoff impacts on streams, High for runoff impacts on lakes and High for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of High. 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.