Dane
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
This 66-acre lake is the focus of a Dane County Park. It is an isolated water body with a mean depth of 4.6 feet and is adjacent to approximately 10 acres of wetlands and wet meadows. Halfway Prairie Creek flows from the west end of the lake and Indian Lake Park surrounds the lake. The lake is hypereutrophic and subject to summer algae blooms. Due to the installation of an aeration system that is run in the winter months, the winter fish kills that were once common in the lake have been almost entirely eliminated. Although the water is adversely affected by nonpoint pollution from agricultural practices, it is believed that changes in activities in the watershed will not have a large affect on the water quality. Stocking in the last decade has established a naturally reproducing population of blue gill and large mouth bass. Access is provided from Indian Lake Park. The Dane County Open Space plan recommends that land be acquired around the park to buffer the lake and include the wetlands that contain the springs that form the headwaters of the lake.
Date 2002
Author Aquatic Biologist
Recommendations
Lake Classification
Dane County Lake Classification-Phase 2: The Phase 1 classification grant classified all county lakes and streams. This grant will take the next step by developing a management program based on the classification.
Lake Classification
Dane County Department of Planning and Development will hire a project staff in order to develop a Lake Classification project, which is seen as the first step toward developing a consistent set of county-wide standards and procedures to protect Dane County Waters.
Land Acquisition
Dane County Parks will acquire 40.23 acres located adjacent to Indian Lake. The acquisition will prevent land use development and maintain a buffer of upland and wetland to filter contaminants from entering Indian Lake. The property also contains wetlands and springs that feed Indian Lake.
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 |
|---|
| 1249000 | Indian Lake | 133419 | Indian Lake - Deep Hole | 3/22/1987 | 8/27/2024 | Map | Data |
| 1249000 | Indian Lake | 10017816 | Indian Lake County Park Boat Ramp-- Access | 6/4/2008 | 11/23/2022 | Map | Data |
| 1249000 | Indian Lake | 10001218 | Indian Lake | 7/27/1999 | 8/31/2023 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Indian Lake is located in the Black Earth Creek watershed which is 105.20 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (37.80%), agricultural (36.90%) and a mix of grassland (16.20%) and other uses (9.20%). This watershed has 196.86 stream miles, 204.29 lake acres and 1,541.75 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Not Available 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.