Sawyer
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Clear Lake, in the Lake Chippewa Watershed, is a 76.40 acre lake that falls in Sawyer County. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
Source: 1969, Surface Water Resources of Sawyer County Clear Lake, T41N, R7W, Section 20, 21
A soft water, seepage lake; it is landlocked and has a fish population of largemouth bass and slow growing panfish. Huskies and walleyes are also present. Wetlands are mostly lacking, so waterfowl and forbearer use is minimal. Shore vegetation is mostly upland hardwood with some pine at the north end. The shore bottomtype is mostly sand with some rock on the west shore and muck along the small bays and part of the east shore is gravel bottomed. The lake has one resort and a boat rental in addition to 13 cottages and homes. A public access is located on the west shore and other than undeveloped platted access on the east shore there is no other public frontage.
Surface Acres = 77.4, Maximum Depth = 32 feet, M.P.A. = 27 ppm, Secchi Disk = 18 feet
Date 1969
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
General Condition
Clear Lake (1841300) was assessed during the 2016 listing cycle; total phosphorus and chlorophyll sample data were clearly below 2016 WisCALM listing thresholds for the Recreation use and Fish and Aquatic Life use. This water is meeting these designated uses and is not considered impaired.
Date 2015
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
Aquatic Invasive Species Removal
The Clear Lake Property Owners Association, Inc. is proposing to restore the rich native aquatic plant community of Clear Lake, Sawyer County by selective eradication of the exotic species, Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM), and long term protection of the natural habitat.
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 |
|---|
| 1841300 | Clear Lake | 10022268 | Clear Lake | 7/1/2010 | 7/1/2010 | Map | Data |
| 1841300 | Clear Lake | 10007850 | Clear Lake (Sawyer County) | 6/1/1999 | 9/12/2017 | Map | Data |
| 1841300 | Clear Lake | 10043516 | Clear Lake - W (Herbicide Monitoring Site 3) | 5/21/2015 | 6/24/2015 | Map | Data |
| 1841300 | Clear Lake | 10044055 | Clear Lake - Staff Gage | 9/16/2015 | 10/30/2018 | Map | Data |
| 1841300 | Clear Lake | 10053876 | Clear Lake - S (Herbicide Monitoring Site 4) | 6/17/2020 | 8/13/2020 | Map | Data |
| 1841300 | Clear Lake | 10043515 | Clear Lake - N (Herbicide Monitoring Site 1) | 5/21/2015 | 6/24/2015 | Map | Data |
| 1841300 | Clear Lake | 583092 | Clear Lake - Deep Hole | 7/2/1995 | 10/4/2024 | Map | Data |
| 1841300 | Clear Lake | 10053875 | Clear Lake - N (Herbicide Monitoring Site 2) | 6/17/2020 | 8/13/2020 | Map | Data |
| 1841300 | Clear Lake | 583217 | Clear Lake - 00 T41r7w S20 | | | Map | Data |
| 1841300 | Clear Lake | 10018845 | Clear Lake -- Access at E Side Of Lake Off Clear Lake Rd | 7/30/2010 | 12/27/2010 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Clear Lake is located in the Lake Chippewa watershed which is 182.90 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (69.10%), open (16.50%) and a mix of wetland (12.70%) and other uses (1.60%). This watershed has 117.68 stream miles, 4,827.59 lake acres and 14,304.38 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Low for runoff impacts on streams, Low 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.