Portage
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
This is a small, moderately hard water seepage located eight miles south of Amherst. The lake is very shallow and choked by aquatic vegetation. Muck is the only bottom type noted. There are no inlets or outlets. An attempt was made to dig an inlet and drain water from nearby Lutz Lake but the project failed. The lake winterkills annually and must be restocked each year. Largemouth bass and bullheads are present. If it were not for a five foot channel dug around the edge, the entire lake would not be greater than two feet deep. Much of the shoreline was subdivided resulting in grossly overcrowded conditions for such a small lake.
Presently there are 15 cabins on the north side of the lake and another 20 across the road from these. The south side has also been subdivided, but no structures erected to date. Whatever wildlife potential is left will soon be lost because of over development. The water is very warm and on the day of investigation a severe algae bloom was noted. Public access is limited to a narrow strip of land on the east end. A few migrating ducks use the lake. Source: 1972, Surface Water Resources of Portage County Boelter(Marshfield) Lake, T22N, R10E, Section 30, Surface Acres- 14.4, S.D.F.-1-58, Maximum Depth-5 feet
Date 1972
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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| 182700 | Boelter Lake | 10033701 | Boelter Lake - Deep Hole | 6/14/2011 | 8/9/2011 | Map | Data |
| 182700 | Boelter Lake | 10041043 | Boelter Lake | 8/21/2011 | 11/10/2014 | Map | Data |
| 182700 | Boelter Lake | 10043609 | Boelter Lake Gage Location | | | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Boelter Lake is located in the Waupaca River watershed which is 290.77 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (43.70%), agricultural (30.40%) and a mix of grassland (14%) and other uses (11.80%). This watershed has 231.34 stream miles, 2,456.10 lake acres and 14,124.68 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Medium for runoff impacts on streams, Not Ranked 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.