Grant
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Ferry Lake, in the Mississippi River Watershed, is a 71.13 acre lake that falls in Grant County. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
A drainage-fed, backwater area of the Mississippi River found in what is locally known as the "Bagley Bottoms" one-half mile southwest of Bagley. Sand and muck are the primary bottom types and average depth is about five feet. Northern pike, channel catfish, largemouth bass, walleye and panfish comprise the fishery. Rough fish are also common. Aquatic vegetation and tree stumps make maneuvering with a motorboat on this lake quite difficult. Approximately 143 acres of timber swamp and deep marsh wetland surround the lake. Game assets include muskrat, beaver, mink, raccoon, and white-tailed deer. Both puddle and diving ducks are common during periods of migration. Duck hunting is popular in this area in the fall. The Mississippi River provides navigable water access and the lake can also be reached along 2.5 miles of public frontage in the Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge. Source:1972, Surface Water Resources of Grant County,WI:WI-DNR Ferry Lake: T5N, R6W, Sec. 19, 20 Surface area = 55.0 acres, S.D.F. = 2.41, maximum depth = 10 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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| 722700 | Ferry Lake | 10002692 | Ferry Lake | 8/8/2001 | 9/2/2016 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Ferry Lake is located in the Mississippi River watershed which is 110.47 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (37.70%), agricultural (19.50%) and a mix of grassland (18.70%) and other uses (23.90%). This watershed has 270.89 stream miles, 1,746.25 lake acres and 6,037.79 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Low for runoff impacts on streams, Not Available 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.