Polk
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Half Moon Lake T35N, R17W, Sec. 25, 24, 23 Surface Acres= 562.5, S.D.F.=2.31, Maximum Depth=60 ft., M.P.A.=81 Situated on Harder Creek, this lake has a navigable inlet and outlet. It has northern pike, walleyes, largemouth bass, bluegills, pumpkinseed, perch, rock bass and bullheads. Public frontage on the lake consists of one access road (49.5 feet)without parking space, three unimproved platted access roads, (66, 33 & 33 feet), and approximately 7,320 feet of town - village unimproved frontage on the west end near the inlet. There are 2 resorts, a boat livery and 53 cottages on the lake. One hundred seventy-nine acres of predominately wooded Wetlands adjoin it. Mallards and bluewing teal nest here. There is a 2-foot dam at the outlet to maintain a stable water level.
Date
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
This 579 acre lake has an intermittent outlet which flows to Balsam Lake. The feasibility study
conducted for this lake district in 1980 documented "reasonably good" water quality. The
management alternatives suggested by this study concentrated on the protection of a high
quality resource by the control of real or potential nutrient sources in the watershed. Half
Moon Lake should be ranked high for the funding of a Lakes Implementation Grant to
preserve and protect the water quality of this lake.
Half Moon Lake should receive high priority for a lakes Planning Grant to continue water
quality monitoring or assess current watershed conditions or analyze the priorities of the lake
community. The lake district has communicated to us that they are at a stage of locally trying
to determine their best course of action. We should be ready to assist them in developing a
course leading to a long range lake management plan.
Date 1992
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
Recommendations
Land Acquisition
The Half Moon Lake Conservancy is sponsoring a project involving the acquisition of two lake lots totaling 31.5 acres and a conservation easment on 8.14 acres on Tamarack Bay of Half Moon Lake and inlcuding portions of Tamarack Creek, a tributary to Tamarack Bayall in the town of Milltown in Polk County.
TMDL Implementation
WDNR, USACOE, Polk County Land and Water Conservation Department and the Cedar Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District are implementing a project to assess internal phosphorus loading processeses in polymictic lakes with high internal phosphorus loadings.
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 |
|---|
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 493099 | Half Moon Lake - Deep Hole | 4/29/1993 | 9/8/2024 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10053955 | Half Moon Walk In off 190th Ave | 8/1/2022 | 8/6/2024 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10021648 | Half Moon Lake - J | 8/1/2007 | 8/1/2007 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10021641 | Half Moon Lake - C | 8/1/2007 | 8/1/2007 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10018570 | Half Moon Lake -- Access Nr 190th Ave - Southern Tip Of Lake | 10/20/2007 | 6/7/2019 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10053954 | Half Moon Lake - Breezy Bay Access | 6/22/2020 | 8/1/2022 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10021643 | Half Moon Lake - E | 8/1/2007 | 8/1/2007 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10021645 | Half Moon Lake - G | 8/1/2007 | 8/1/2007 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10021646 | Half Moon Lake - H | 8/1/2007 | 8/1/2007 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10029946 | Half Moon Lake Site 1 near inlet | 6/14/2009 | 9/15/2009 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10018228 | Half Moon Lake -- Voss Landing | 8/18/2004 | 8/31/2024 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10021639 | Half Moon Lake - A | 8/1/2007 | 8/1/2007 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10021640 | Half Moon Lake - B | 8/1/2007 | 8/1/2007 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10021644 | Half Moon Lake - F | 8/1/2007 | 8/1/2007 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10004783 | Half Moon Lake | 4/3/1968 | 8/6/2024 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10021642 | Half Moon Lake - D | 8/1/2007 | 8/1/2007 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 493101 | Half Moon Lake - Outlet at Dam | 4/19/2009 | 6/14/2009 | Map | Data |
| 2621100 | Half Moon Lake | 10021647 | Half Moon Lake - I | 8/1/2007 | 8/1/2007 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Half Moon Lake is located in the Balsam Branch watershed which is 104.07 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (31.60%), agricultural (28.40%) and a mix of grassland (18.70%) and other uses (21.30%). This watershed has 63.62 stream miles, 6,301.67 lake acres and 5,248.51 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked High for runoff impacts on streams, High 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.This water is ranked High Lake for individual Lakes based on runoff problems and the likelihood of success from project implementation.