Waushara
No
Yes
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Gilbert Lake, in the Pine and Willow Rivers Watershed, is a 139.04 acre lake that falls in Waushara County. This lake is an outstanding/exceptional resource water under NR102 under the Fisheries Program. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
Source: 1970, Surface Water Resources of Waushara County Gilbert Lake, T20N, R11E, Sections 14 and 15
A moderate-sized, landlocked lake which has a slightly irregular basin. Seepage is the primary water source. Approximately 75 percent of the lake has depths greater than 20 feet. The littoral zone is not very extensive, and the primary bottom materials in this zone consist of sand, gravel and marl. The lake develops a midsummer thermocline at 18 feet. Fish species present include northern pike, walleye, perch, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegills, black crappies, rock bass, brown trout, rainbow trout, cisco and bullheads. Trout stocking to establish a two-story fishery proved unsuccessful, but poor harvests and carry over of the planted fish were experienced. Natural reproduction of walleyes has not been evident since 1957. Walleye fingerlings were planted in the lake in 1963, 64, and 65, to evaluate the contribution of stocked walleyes to the fishery of a lake lacking natural walleye reproduction. Surveys (1965) have indicated some degree of survival and the growth rate of the planted fish to be very good. The present private access on the west end of the lake is highly inadequate to accomodate the use which the lake receives for boating, fishing and swimming. The intense shoreline development and general use activity of the lake discourages use of the area by waterfowl. There are sixty-five cottages on the shoreline, including one girl scout camp and a YWCA camp along the north shore. Current problems interfering with the general recreational use of the lake include fluctuating water levels. The overall clarity of the water makes fishing for the more wary game fishes difficult.
Surface Acres = 129.5, S.D.F. = 1.69, Maximum Depth = 65 feet
Date 1970
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
General Condition
Gilbert Lake (186400) 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 was also assessed for chlorides and sample data were clearly below 2016 WisCALM chronic and acute listing criteria for the 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 Plan
TOWN OF SPRINGWATER: Gilbert Lake Aquatic Plant Survey
Lake Management Plan Implementation
Gilbert Lake Advancement Association, Inc. is sponsoring a grant to implement water quality and habitat best practices from Wisconsin's Healthy Lakes Implementation Plan. Best practices, including fish sticks, 350 sq. ft. native plantings, diversions, rock infiltration, and/or rain gardens, will be designed and installed according to the Healthy Lakes fact sheets, technical guidance and grant application.
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 |
|---|
| 186400 | Gilbert Lake | 10018691 | Gilbert Lake - Access of 23rd Road | 5/10/1962 | 11/6/2024 | Map | Data |
| 186400 | Gilbert Lake | 10007433 | Gilbert Lake | 4/17/1989 | 7/30/2018 | Map | Data |
| 186400 | Gilbert Lake | 703052 | Gilbert Lake - Deep Hole | 5/18/1986 | 8/26/2024 | Map | Data |
| 186400 | Gilbert Lake | 10047127 | Gilbert Lake - Monitoring Well | 9/22/2016 | 6/14/2018 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Gilbert Lake is located in the Pine and Willow Rivers watershed which is 302.08 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (34.40%), agricultural (27.80%) and a mix of wetland (19.20%) and other uses (18.70%). This watershed has 377.48 stream miles, 11,273.01 lake acres and 33,136.61 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.