Iron
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Barrel Spring Lake is a very soft water drained lake having acid, medium brown water of low transparency. The inlet stream from Evelyn Lake is intermittent. The outlet stream (Evelyn Creek) is tributary to Long Lake Creek. The outflow of water is extremely limited. Muck is the predominant littoral material (95 percent) with some sand. Northern pike, largemouth bass and crappie are fish species present in this lake. Waterfowl make limited use of this lake. At the time of survey, beaver were present. Floating and submergent vegetation are moderate in density in the bay on the west end of the lake. Nearly half of the shoreline is wetland of the meadow, bog and shrub type with the remainder being upland dominated by hardwoods. There are no developments located on the shoreline. Although a county trunk highway lies in close proximity to this lake there is believed to be no public access. It is worthy of note that on August 2, 1951, there was no oxygen at the 13-foot level. The water is extremely cold and on that date, was 45 degrees Fahrenheit at 13 feet and 38 degrees Fahrenheit at 23 feet. During the survey of July 24, 1964, the temperature at 21 feet was 39 degrees Fahrenheit.
Source:1970, Surface Water Resources of Iron County,WI:WI-DNR Barrel Spring Lake, T44N, R3E, Section 26 Surface Acres = 7.9, S.D.F. = 2.03, Maximum Depth = 47 feet
Date 1970
Author Aquatic Biologist
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.
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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| 2303100 | Barrel Spring Lake | 10002853 | Barrel Spring Lake | 8/29/2000 | 9/10/2010 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Barrel Spring Lake is located in the Flambeau Flowage watershed which is 247.18 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (56.80%), wetland (28.20%) and a mix of open (14.10%) and other uses (0.90%). This watershed has 190.98 stream miles, 10,199.06 lake acres and 43,978.35 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.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.