Vilas
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Big Portage Lake, in the Tamarack Pioneer River Watershed, is a 586.31 acre lake that falls in Vilas County. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
Source: 1963, Surface Water Resources of Vilas County
Portage (Big) Lake, T-42-N, R-10-E, Sections 7, 8, 17 and 18,
Area = 601 Surface Acres, Maximum Depth = 38 feet
Big Portage Lake is a seepage lake of low fertility. It has
slightly alkaline, clear water of high transparency. The bottom
materials consist primarily of intermittent character. The
principal fish species present in the lake are muskellunge,
walleye, large and smallmouth bass and pan fish. A good boat
launching facility is available on the lake's north shore. Public
use facilities are available in the form of five resorts with boat
rental facilities, and there are 52 cottages.
Date 1963
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
General Condition
Big Portage Lake (1629500) 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
Lake Management Plan Development
Lake Management Plan Development
32086421
Monitor Water Quality or Sediment
Shoreland Monitoring, Assessment, Inventory
Shoreland Monitoring, Assessment or Inventory
Lake Management Plan Development
32086409
Shoreland Monitoring, Assessment, Inventory
Shoreland Monitoring, Assessment or Inventory
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 |
|---|
| 1629500 | Big Portage Lake | 643165 | Big Portage Lake - Deep Hole | 6/7/1989 | 9/29/2024 | Map | Data |
| 1629500 | Big Portage Lake | 10018693 | Big Portage Lake -- Access | 5/5/2006 | 10/2/2024 | Map | Data |
| 1629500 | Big Portage Lake | 10005989 | Big Portage Lake | 4/30/1997 | 5/15/2024 | Map | Data |
| 1629500 | Big Portage Lake | 643510 | Big Portage Lake - West Bay | 7/14/1999 | 9/15/2023 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Big Portage Lake is located in the Tamarack Pioneer River watershed which is 209.26 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (69.20%), wetland (18.50%) and a mix of open (10%) and other uses (2.30%). This watershed has 183.22 stream miles, 14,006.68 lake acres and 23,826.05 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Low for runoff impacts on streams, Medium 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.