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= Turtle-Flambeau Flowage = From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is a 12,942 acre lake, located in Iron County, Wisconsin. It has a maximum depth of 50 feet. Fish include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye and Sturgeon. The lake's water clarity is low.

= Origins and History = The region which became the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage was originally a mix of forest, glades, kettle lakes, and rivers. The area was originally part of the drainage system for the Flambeau River.

The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage was created in 1926 when the Chippewa and Flambeau Improvement Company built a dam on the Flambeau River downstream from its confluence with the Turtle River. The dam flooded 16 natural lakes and formed an impoundment of approximately 14,000 acres.

The flowage was constructed as a reservoir to augment river flows and sustain hydroelectric plants operated downstream by electric utilities and paper mills. The dam also provided flood protection and created a unique recreational resource.

= Characteristics =

Geography
The flowage's watershed covers 247 square miles in Iron and Vilas Counties. 47% of the basin is forested, with another 33% covered by wetlands (including the Turtle-Flambeau Patterned Bog State Natural Area ) and 19% covered by open water. Human land use is relatively sparse; agriculture, urban, and suburban areas combined make up less than 1% of the land use in the watershed.

Geology
The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, like much of Iron County lies on top of a large granite formation from the Archean eon. Soils are generally sandy, due to the presence of post-glaciation old growth coniferous forests. .The majority of exposed rock formations in the area were either gouged, carved, or deposited by receding glaciers.

Hydrology
The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is a drainage lake (Correct page to link to needed). It is fed by several rivers including the Flambeau River and Turtle River. The flowage discharges at the Turtle Dam into the Flambeau River. Discharge from the dam is monitored by Xcel Energy, which operates several power stations on the Flambeau River downstream of the flowage.

Former lakes that were inundated during the flowage's formation include :


 * Blair Lake
 * Baraboo Lake
 * Bastine Lake
 * Horseshoe Lake
 * Landing Lake
 * Lake Ten
 * Merkle Lake
 * Mud Lake
 * Rat Lake
 * Sweeny Lake
 * Townline Lake
 * Turtle Lake

Water Quality
The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is currently an eutrophic lake. It is a productive and healthy lake with a water visibility going down approx. 1.5 m (5 feet) in the summer. The flowage is a holomictic lake which develops a single thermocline of productive with productive water above and depleted water below.

Water quality varies among the flowage's several basins (former lake beds), with Baraboo basin having the best water quality and Townline the worst. (check for differences in data among basins/sites?)(N)

= Wildlife =

Flora
While trees surrounding a body of water may not live in the lake: they may still affect lake levels. Through the process of transpiration, tree roots pull water found in moist shoreline: lowering the amount of water available in lake. This rate of water collection is not even across all Wisconsin species. Trees endemic to wetlands such as the White Cedar are more efficient at transporting water in their sap than upland trees such as the Red Pine or Sugar Maple.

(aquatic flora) (common in the area) (N)

The patterned bog in the southeast of the lake is a minerotrophic peatland with peat ridges separating water-filled hollows. This type of string bog is rare in Wisconsin.

Fauna
(general animal life) (j/N)

The lake is home to a wide variety of animals. Native fish include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye and Sturgeon. Reptiles include snapping turtles and painted turtles. The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is also prime habitat for loons and features the largest concentration of eagle and osprey breeding pairs in Wisconsin.

Ecology
= Environmental Concerns =

Mercury
Significant levels of methylmercury have been found in walleye tissue in both the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage and other reservoirs in Oneida, Sawyer, and Vilas counties. Walleye are harvested as a traditional food source for the Lake Superior Chippewa, and the bioaccumulation of mercury in these fish increases the risk of harmful exposure to humans. Wetlands are a major source of methylmercury in boreal forest environments, and the variable discharge from flowage dams can increase methylmercury exposures in reservoirs. The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage was declared impaired due to mercury contamination by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in 2002, and a fish consumption warning has been in effect since 2009.

Algae
(find local sources for algal contamination?) (N)

Additional impairments include high levels of phosphorus and chlorophyll a, indicators of elevated algal growth.

Some lake management activities are undertaken by the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage & Trude Lake Property Owners Association, Inc.; in 2010, this group sponsored a grant to assess flowage water quality.

= Cultural Significance =

Who's Lake is it?
The lakes that would make up the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage all originally fell with in the territory of the Ojibwe. The band now living in Lac du Flambeau, settled the area in 1745.

It is mostly like the first Europeans in the region were French fur traders and trappers otherwise known as Coureur de Bois.

In the Treaty of 1854*(this needs a link) the Ojibwe officially ceded several territories in modern day Minnesota and Wisconsin including Iron County. The Wisconsin State Constitution holds that all navigable waters in the state are considered public highways. In this case the Flambeau River (and any land it floods) remain a matter of public trust. Businesses and property owners such as the Chippewa and Flambeau Improvement Company: the company responsible for the damming of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, do retain riparian rights.

Fishing
Many of the species of fish endemic to the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage are popular with anglers. Species including Walleye, Northern Pike, and Muskellunge are popular trophy fish and therefor have an annual season to protect these species.

While most individuals are only allowed to use rod and reel for fishing; members of Ojibwe people have the right to spearfish walleye. (conflict/decision in 1984) (N)

Tourism and Recreation
The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is a major destination of summer tourism. Visitors have access to the lake from four public boat landings. Camping, hunting, and fishing are also popular activities. The Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area offers 60 remote campsites accessible by water only. These sites are available year-round on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no camping fee, but camping on the flowage is restricted to designated sites.

Historically, many lakeside resorts have existed in the vicinity of the flowage. However, today much of the shoreline remains sparsely developed.

= See also = List of lakes in Wisconsin

= External links =


 * Turtle-Flambeau Flowage & Trude Lake Property Owners Association
 * Wisconsin Natural Resources article

= References =