Lakes in the region face a lot of threats.
Public access, shoreline development, enhanced wakes, and aquatic invasive species are all key risk factors identified by the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department.
Special Projects Coordinator JoAnne Lund says, so far, lakes in the county have held up well against these risks.
“Our lakes are really incredibly high quality. Our watersheds are the most highly rated in the state. In fact, we have the number one watershed in the state, in this county,” said Lund. “Protecting the land and the water they surround is critically important.”
To help protect lakes, the department and an advisory group created a Lakes Classification System for Oneida County.
This High Quality Waters Protection Project was funded by a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and focused on protecting surface water quality and increasing public awareness of Oneida County's high quality waters.
Using data available for hundreds of lakes in the county it assigned a Lake Class number, either 1, 2 or 3, based on a number of factors. This includes things like current water quality, size and depth of the lakes, as well as their locations.
Those listed as Class 1 are considered the most sensitive to change from outside stressors.
“Rather than on restoration efforts, it focuses on protection,” said Lund. “It's a lot more effective and cheaper and takes less energy and inputs to keep our high quality waters high quality than it is to try to restore them.”
The Land and Water Conservation Department has also created a list of 30 recommended activities for individuals or groups to help mitigate the impact of those four key risk factors.
“Resources are limited. We don't all have a lot of time and money, we hope that it will help guide their protection efforts in the areas that will make the biggest impact in protecting our lakes,” said Lund.
