Overview

English Lake is a small, deep seepage lake in the outwash plain west of Newton. Silver Creek originates at English Lake. The lake covers 51 acres and has a maximum depth of 80 feet. The lake supports a viable warm/cool water fishery that includes largemouth bass and northern pike. Walleye stocking occurs in alternating years. Volunteers sample English Lake as part of the self-help monitoring program.

English Lake received a high ranking using the nonpoint source criteria developed for lakes and is therefore eligible as a Priority Lake Project under the nonpoint source program. Using the phosphorus classification scheme, English Lake falls into Class 1B. The lake's water quality is threatened by agricultural runoff that results in dense algal blooms during the open water season. A few fields are tiled to the lake edge, which would add to the runoff problem. Best management practices implemented in this lake's watershed would protect the lake's viable fishery and its aesthetic value.

English Lake is a high priority for sensitive area designation. Sensitive areas are areas of aquatic vegetation offering critical or unique fish and wildlife habitat, water quality protection, or erosion control benefits to the lake. Refer to the Aquatic Plant Management Program in the Lakes Report for additional information on sensitive area designation. The Bureau of Research collected a sediment core from the lake in the summer of 1991. The information from this core provided an important historical perspective of the lake's changing trophic status when tied to known landuse changes.
Lake Planning Grants were awarded to English Lake in 1991 and 1992 to complete the following:

* Determine lake water quality.
* Identify cause(s) of water quality problems.
* Increase awareness of property owners regarding water quality problems.
* Map and identify aquatic plant communities.

WDNR staff working with Wisconsin DOT personnel helped purchase and implement a detention pond that has improved water quality by protecting the lake from agricultural runoff. Sensitive upland areas have been defined through the planning grant process and existing priority watershed programs.

Date  2002

Author   Aquatic Biologist

Historical Description

Source: 1968, Surface Water Resources of Manitowoc County English Lake, T18N, R23E, Section 7 Surface acres - 51, S.D.F. = 1.12, Maximum depth = 80 feet.

A small, deep, seepage lake in the outwash plain west of Newtonburgh. The water is clear, hard and alkaline. The bottom is primarily muck. Silver Creek intermittently drains the lake at the southwest corner. The lake is managed for largemouth bass, panfish, and walleyes. Considerable shoreline development has taken place with approximately 37 dwellings on the lake. Public access is available via a town road. There is one boat rental. Blue-wing teal nest here during favorable years, and during the fall moderate numbers of waterfowl visit the area. Hunting is permitted.

Date  1968

Author   Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin

General Condition

English Lake received a high ranking using the nonpoint source criteria developed for lakes and is therefore eligible as a Priority Lake Project under the nonpoint source program. Using the phosphorus classification scheme, English Lake falls into Class 1B. The lake's water quality is threatened by agricultural runoff that results in dense algal blooms during the open water season. A few fields are tiled to the lake edge, which would add to the runoff problem. Best management practices implemented in this lake's watershed would protect the lake's viable fishery and its aesthetic value.

English Lake is a high priority for sensitive area designation. Sensitive areas are areas of aquatic vegetation offering critical or unique fish and wildlife habitat, water quality protection, or erosion control benefits to the lake. Refer to the Aquatic Plant Management Program in the Lakes Report for additional information on sensitive area designation.

The WDNR Research staff collected a sediment core from the lake in the summer of 1991. The information from this core would provide a historical perspective of lake's tropic status, but it has not been analyzed to date. This technique has proven useful for the management and understanding of other lake systems in Wisconsin.

Date  1997

Author   Aquatic Biologist

Impaired Waters

English Lake was put on the Impaired Waters List in the 2018 cycle for phosphorus. Evaluations in the 2020 and 2022 cycle confirmed high phosphorus levels.

Date  2022

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

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

Watershed Characteristics

English Lake is located in the Sevenmile and Silver Creeks watershed which is 112.90 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (57.20%), grassland (18.40%) and a mix of wetland (7.50%) and other uses (16.80%). This watershed has 184.08 stream miles, 10,577.89 lake acres and 4,732.70 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked High 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.