Waupaca
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Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
White Lake, in the South Branch Little Wolf River Watershed, is a 1,064.11 acre lake that falls in Waupaca County. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
Source: 1971, Surface Water Resources of Waupaca County
White Lake, T22N, R13E, Sections 16, 20, 21, 22
Surface Acres = 1,026.2, S.D.F. = 1.29, Maximum Depth = 11 feet
White Lake is the second largest lake in Waupaca County and
contains medium brown, hard water. The lake is virtually
landlocked except for small marsh drainage channels and an
intermittent outlet. Sand, detritus, and muck are the
predominant littoral bottom materials. Originally, White Lake
was an excellent area for the reproduction of ducks. However, in
the 1930's a dam (4-foot head) was installed to create more open
water. As a result, bog recession occurred ruining many valuable
duck food and cover areas. Waterfowl use declined but some
mallards and bluewing teal still utilize the area for nesting.
Thousands of diving ducks and hundreds of puddle ducks stop here
during spring and fall migrations. Large expanses of very
shallow water, dense weed growths, and a slow rate of water
exchange are factors that combine to create an almost annual and
severe winterkill. The present fish population consists of
bullhead, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, northern
pike, perch, and white sucker. Quality fishing is rarely
realized. In 1958 the lake was chemically treated to exterminate
the existing fish population in an attempt to revitalize the
fishery, however, winterkill minimized the effectiveness of this
project. Over the years a rather serious use conflict between
fishermen and duck hunters has developed. Duck hunters want
lower water levels in hopes that more duck food and cover will be
established. Fishermen want to dredge the lake and raise the
water levels. Looking at the past history of the lake and the
basic ecology of the lake itself would indicate that the lake is
better suited for ducks rather than fish. Access to White Lake
is available from one public boat landing, however, parking is
limited. About 70 dwellings are present on the lake.
Date 1971
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
General Condition
White Lake (WBIC 272900) was assessed during the 2018 listing cycle; new chlorophyll sample data were clearly below the 2018 WisCALM listing thresholds for the Recreation use. This water was meeting this designated use and was not considered impaired.
Date 2017
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
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 |
|---|
| 272900 | White Lake | 693081 | White Lake - Deep Hole | 8/19/1982 | 9/2/2024 | Map | Data |
| 272900 | White Lake | 10007338 | White Lake | 6/1/1992 | 7/19/2022 | Map | Data |
| 272900 | White Lake | 10051886 | Township 1050 | 6/27/2018 | 6/27/2018 | Map | Data |
| 272900 | White Lake | 693202 | White Lake - Inlet East Shore | 4/22/2002 | 11/4/2002 | Map | Data |
| 272900 | White Lake | 10019270 | White Lake -- Access Off Waukaunaka St | 6/24/2010 | 6/21/2019 | Map | Data |
| 272900 | White Lake | 10041614 | White Lake NW of property (Waupaca Co.) | 7/6/2012 | 7/6/2012 | Map | Data |
| 272900 | White Lake | 694012 | White Lake - Deepest Part | 7/30/1979 | 7/31/1979 | Map | Data |
| 272900 | White Lake | 10019369 | White Lake -- Access at The End Of Park Ave | 9/3/2005 | 8/14/2020 | Map | Data |
| 272900 | White Lake | 10019311 | White Lake -- Access Off S Shore Dr | 8/3/2008 | 6/10/2011 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
White Lake is located in the South Branch Little Wolf River watershed which is 160.29 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (42.40%), agricultural (23%) and a mix of wetland (18.40%) and other uses (16.10%). This watershed has 166.00 stream miles, 2,070.64 lake acres and 19,091.22 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Low 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.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.