Castle Rock Lake is an
artificial lake
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
on the
Wisconsin River
The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskousi ...
. It is located in central Wisconsin in
Adams County and
Juneau County. The lake has an inflow from
Petenwell Lake
Lake Petenwell is an artificial lake on the Wisconsin River in central Wisconsin. It is located in Adams, Juneau, and Wood counties next to Castle Rock Lake. It covers over and is deep.
Lake Petenwell is Wisconsin's second largest lake at or ...
,
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...
, Big Roche a Cri., and Klien Creek.
It has a surface area of and its depth varies from in most places, with area in the old river beds reaching as deep as .
Castle Rock Lake is the fourth largest lake in Wisconsin, it covers sixteen thousand acres, and has approximately seventy miles of shoreline.
Castle Rock Lake is home to a large variety of fish, birds, and many other organisms. The large body of water attracts many people to the area as well, it provides a great space for recreational hobbies such as: bird watching, boating, fishing, and recreational water sports.
History
Castle Rock Lake is situated within the ancient bed of
Glacial Lake Wisconsin
Glacial Lake Wisconsin was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed from approximately 18,000 to 14,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, in the central part of present-day Wisconsin in the United States.
Formation and demise
Before t ...
. Prior to the completion of the Castle Rock Dam in 1951, the area held farmlands, vast prairies, and forested knolls separated by the Wisconsin River.
The Wisconsin River Valley supported human life for over 10,000 years, and was inhabited by Indigenous
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hoocągra or Winnebago (referred to as ''Hotúŋe'' in the neighboring indigenous Iowa-Otoe language), are a Siouan-speaking Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iow ...
and
Menominee
The Menominee (; mez, omǣqnomenēwak meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recog ...
people.
The landscape surrounding Castle Rock Lake has several prehistoric antiquities, mainly the
Effigy mound
An effigy mound is a raised pile of earth built in the shape of a stylized animal, symbol, religious figure, human, or other figure. The Effigy Moundbuilder culture is primarily associated with the years 550-1200 CE during the Late Woodland Peri ...
s and
Petroglyphs
A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
at Roche-A-Cri Rock.
The mounds take on the form of multiple shapes and creatures; including crests, panthers, and outstretched birds.
They varied in size, both in height and width, some extending as far as a football field.
Selected mounds have been known to be grave sites for people or tools; while others hold no purpose other than to be a magnificent earthwork to look upon.
Just northeast of Castle Rock Lake, a large out of place rock formation can be seen, Roche-A-Chi Rock. On the southwest face, a cave holds ancient artwork.
The artwork varies in drawings including birds, canoes, animal tracks, phases of the moon, and man.
Archeologists claim that the pictures were painted after 900 A.D.
The Ho-Chunk people were believed to have used these portrayals for an assortment of purposes including record keeping, storytelling and even politics.
While the exact translation may have been lost, similar to the effigy mounds, they both tell a unique history about the people who first inhabited the area around Castle Rock Lake.
Castle Rock Lake was created as the result of a
hydropower
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...
project initiated by the
Wisconsin River Power Company (WRPCO) in tandem with the related
Petenwell Dam and Reservoir to dam the Wisconsin River.
Construction of the Castle Rock Dam was started in 1947 and completed 4 years later in 1951. The dam is high, long at is crest, with a maximum water capacity of .
Physical aspects
Geography and geology
Castle Rock Lake is located in Central Wisconsin between
Adams County and
Juneau County, at the coordinates 43.9258° the surrounding area of the lake consists of mostly flood plains. The elevation of the lake itself is at a
mean sea level
There are several kinds of mean in mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. ...
of 882 feet (268.834 m). The parent material in the area is mixed sandy alluvium, the A Horizon consists of loamy sand, and the B Horizon consists of sand.
Hydrology
Maximum fetch:(km): 16.371 km
Maximum surface wave height(m): 1.34m
Minimum water temperature (°C): 1.9 °C
Maximum water temperature (°C): 28.2 °C
Daily total undepleted solar radiation (cal cm
−2 day
−1) by season:
*Spring: 408.70- 430.21 cal cm
−2 day
−1
*Summer: ≥ 494.75 cal cm
−2 day
−1
*Autumn: < 344.17 cal cm
−2 day
−1
*Winter: < 344.17 cal cm
−2 day
−1
Average percentage sunlight reflected:
*Summer: Between 1-10%*
*Winter: Between 1-10%*
Secchi disk depth (m):1 m (3.3 ft.)
Water chemistry and quality
The equilibrium concentration of dissolved oxygen in the surface waters at varying temperature are:
*4 °C: 12.3 mg/L (7.69*10
−4 mol/L)
*10 °C: 11.5 mg/L (7.19*10
−4mol/L)
*20 °C: 7.1 mg/L (4.44*10
−4mol/L)
*25 °C: 5.2 mg/L (3.25*10
−4mol/L)
The average pH of Castle Rock Lake is 7.2
The total dissolved organic carbon is 17 mg L
−1
The chlorophyll a levels are: 6 μg L
−1
Total alkalinity (mg/L and meq/L): 32 (mg/L)
Hardness (mg/L): 91 mg/L
Wildlife
Flora
The aquatic plant life of Castle Rock Lake is essential to the fish and other fauna that inhabit the lake. The most common species are
fragrant water-lily,
common duckweed
''Lemna minor'', the common duckweed or lesser duckweed, is a species of aquatic freshwater plant in the subfamily Lemnoideae of the arum family Araceae. ''L. minor'' is used as animal fodder, bioremediator, for wastewater nutrient recovery, and ...
,
coontail, and
Eurasian water-milfoil
''Myriophyllum spicatum'' (Eurasian watermilfoil or spiked water-milfoil) is native to Europe, Asia, and north Africa, but has a wide geographic and climatic distribution among some 57 countries, extending from northern Canada to South Africa. It ...
.
The fragrant water-lily, common duckweed, and contail are all native species to Castle Rock Lake and provided a substantial amount of habitat for the many fish that populate the lake.
Eurasian water-milfoil is an invasive species to Castle Rock Lake and it is being monitored by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Petenwell and Castle Rock Stewards (PACRS).
The area surrounding Castle Rock Lake is mostly central sand plains and some forested areas. Some of the dominant tree species are
jack pine
Jack pine (''Pinus banksiana'') is an eastern North American pine. Its native range in Canada is east of the Rocky Mountains from the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and the north-central and ...
,
red pine
''Pinus resinosa'', known as red pine (also Norway pine in Minnesota), is a pine native to North America.
Description
Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth. It usually ranges from in height and in trun ...
,
black oak
Black Oak may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Black Oak, Arkansas
* Black Oak, Daviess County, Indiana
* Black Oak, Lake County, Indiana, a neighborhood of Gary, Indiana
* Black Oak, Missouri
Other
* Black Oak Arkansas, American band
** ...
,
white oak
The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera '' ...
, and
balsam fir
''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...
.
Ferns are also very common in areas around the lake, some of the species present are
Northern maiden hair fern,
lady fern
''Athyrium'' (lady-fern) is a genus of about 180 species of terrestrial ferns, with a cosmopolitan distribution. It is placed in the family Athyriaceae, in the order Polypodiales.
Its genus name is from Greek '' a-'' ('without') and Latinized ...
, and
common bracken.
Other common plant species are
common milkweed,
lady slippers,
sundial lupine,
black-eyed Susan
''Black-Eyed Susan; or, All in the Downs'' is a comic play in three acts by Douglas Jerrold. The story concerns a heroic sailor, William, who has been away from England for three years fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. Meanwhile, his wife, Susa ...
,
European raspberry, and
Allegheny blackberry.
Two common grasses are
little bluestem
''Schizachyrium scoparium'', commonly known as little bluestem or beard grass, is a species of North American prairie grass native to most of the contiguous United States (except California, Nevada, and Oregon) as well as a small area north of t ...
and
big bluestem
''Andropogon gerardi'', commonly known as big bluestem, is a species of tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and grassland regions of central and eastern North America. It is also known as tall bluestem, bluejoint, and turkeyfoot.
Taxon ...
.
Fauna
The structure created from the river beds makes Castle Rock Lake a productive and consistent fishing lake. Species such as
walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...
,
white bass
The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12-15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white s ...
, and
crappie
Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers.
Etymology
The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...
are the most abundant, but many other species like
northern pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...
,
large mouth bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...
,
small mouth bass,
bluegill
The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...
s,
redbreast sunfish
The redbreast sunfish (''Lepomis auritus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to the river systems of eastern Canada and the United Sta ...
, and
perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...
are caught as well.
Muskellunge
The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae.
Origin of name
The name "muskellun ...
(Musky),
sturgeon
Sturgeon is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretace ...
, and
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
are also known to be present but in smaller numbers than other noted species.
The lake is also known for being a winter refuge for
bald eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
and a location the Wisconsin DNR is attempting to bring back wild
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
and
wood duck
The wood duck or Carolina duck (''Aix sponsa'') is a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake wood duck is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl.
Description
The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck. A typi ...
populations too.
In addition to the DNR's efforts the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), UW-SP, and WRPCO have designated the area a wildlife refuge and completed an management plan for the refuge.
The area surrounding Castle Rock Lake creates a habitat for many animal species, including a wide range of amphibians, mammals, and reptiles. Three of the most common amphibians are the
green frog,
spring peeper
The spring peeper (''Pseudacris crucifer'') is a small chorus frog widespread throughout the eastern United States and Canada. They prefer permanent ponds due to their advantage in avoiding predation; however, they are very adaptable with respect ...
, and
blue-spotted salamander
The blue-spotted salamander (''Ambystoma laterale'') is a mole salamander native to the Great Lakes states and northeastern United States, and parts of Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Their range is known to extend to James Bay to the north, an ...
.
There is a wide variety of mammals that inhabit the natural landscape around Castle Rock Lake. The most common mammals are
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
,
American red squirrel
The American red squirrel (''Tamiasciurus hudsonicus'') is one of three species of tree squirrels currently classified in the genus ''Tamiasciurus'', known as the pine squirrels (the others are the Douglas squirrel, ''T. douglasii'', and the sou ...
,
common raccoon
The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of . ...
, and
muskrat
The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitat ...
.
Reptiles are present in and around Castle Rock Lake. Turtles are the most common reptile that live in Castle Rock, some common species are
snapping turtle
The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and '' Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are '' Acherontem ...
,
painted turtle
The painted turtle (''Chrysemys picta'') is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They have been shown to prefer l ...
, and
Blanding's turtle
Blanding's turtle (''Emydoidea blandingii'') is a semi-aquatic turtle of the family Emydidae. This species is native to central and eastern parts of Canada and the United States. It is considered to be an endangered species throughout much of i ...
.
Other species of reptiles that live in the area surrounding the lake are
eastern hognose snake
The eastern hog-nosed snake (''Heterodon platirhinos''), also known as the spreading adderAlbert Hazen WWright, A.H., and species:Anna Allen WA.A. Wright (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. (in 2 volumes). Ithaca and L ...
,
common garter snake
The common garter snake (''Thamnophis sirtalis'') is a species of thamnophis snake, in the natricine subfamily, which is indigenous to North America and found widely across the continent. Most common garter snakes have a pattern of yellow strip ...
, and
common five-lined skink.
Environmental concerns
Bacteria
Castle Rock Lake has encountered several environmental concerns including,
blue-green algae
Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...
, invasive species, and shoreline development. In the summer of 2009 Petenwell Lake and Castle Rock Lake both had obvious signs of blue-green algae growth. The algae floats on the surface giving the water a "pea green" color and a foul smell.
Blue-green algae can have negative impacts on both humans and animals, water with obvious algal blooms should be avoided. Some common symptoms for humans who have come in contact with blue-green algae are rash, eyes/nose/throat irritation, and gastroenteritis.
Invasive species
Castle Rock Lake has three observed invasive species, this does not mean they are the only invasive species present at this time. Blue-green algae (also known as Cylindro), Eurasian water-milfoil, and zebra mussel are the three invasive species noted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Blue-green algae
Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...
has harmful effects on the aquatic environment as well as humans and animals who come into contact with it. Eurasian water-milfoil is an invasive plant species that crowds out native species and inhibits growth. This plant is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, it likely found its way to the United States through the aquarium trade or watercraft. Zebra mussels are also found in Castle Rock Lake, they compete with native species and consume the vegetation in the lake. Zebra mussels are also native to Europe and Asia, the zebra mussels came to the United States in ballast water from large ships. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is aware of all three invasive species and have remediation plans in place for them.
Pollution
A large portion of the land around the Wisconsin River Basin is used as farmland, it has been discovered that farmland produces a significant amount of runoff that impacts the waterways. The main pollutant in the runoff from farmland is
phosphorus
Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...
, when the phosphorus makes its way into the waterways it can be detrimental. Excessive nutrients, in particular phosphorus, enable the growth of algae which frequently causes harmful/toxic algal blooms. Castle Rock Lake had a toxic blue-green algae bloom in the summer of 2009, the likely cause was phosphorus runoff.
There are Environmental Protection Agency and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources projects in place to create solutions that will lower the rate of phosphorus pollution into the waterways.
Human uses
On the Juneau County side (west side), with the exception of
Buckhorn State Park
Buckhorn State Park is a Wisconsin state park southeast of Necedah. The park occupies a peninsula on Castle Rock Lake, a reservoir formed at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on ...
and
Yellow River State Wildlife Area,
the shoreline is more developed. There has been an influx of resort-type developments with small, man-made private lakes and deeded private docks access to Castle Rock Lake in the last few years. The majority of shoreline is undeveloped making the lake "less populated" and ideal for boating and skiing. There is also three major beaches Castle Rock Park, Castle Rock County Park Beach, and Buckhorn State Park Beach located around the lake.
The lake is also a hot spot for local anglers with ten boat launches available to the public located all around the lakes expansive shorelines, it even hosts fishing tournaments.
Castle Rock Lake is also a huge resource for the surrounding areas because of the hydroelectric dam located on the southern shoreline which provides energy to nearby settlements.
Figures and tables
File:Summertvdchart.pdf, Temperature vs depth on Castle Rock Lake in summer
File:Falltvdchart.pdf, Temperature vs depth charts on Castle Rock Lake in fall
File:Wintertvdchart.pdf, Temperature vs depth charts on Castle Rock Lake in winter
File:Springtvdchart.pdf, Temperature vs depth charts on Castle Rock Lake in spring
File:% oxygen saturation vs depth.pdf, Percent Oxygen Saturation Vs. Depth on Castle Rock Lake
File:Dissolved oxygen vs depth.pdf, Dissolved Oxygen vs. Depth on Castle Rock Lake
References
External links
Petenwell Castlerock Property Owners Association*
Adams County, Wisconsin
Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,654. Its county seat is Friendship. The county was created in 1848 and organized in 1853. Sources differ as to whether its name is in honor of ...
*
Juneau County, Wisconsin
Juneau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,718. Its county seat is Mauston.
History
Before white settlement, before loggers and explorers, the area that is now Juneau Count ...
Petenwell and Castle Rock StewardsWisconsin River Power Company{{authority control
Reservoirs in Wisconsin
Lakes of Adams County, Wisconsin
Lakes of Juneau County, Wisconsin
Dams in Wisconsin
United States power company dams
Dams completed in 1951
Buildings and structures in Adams County, Wisconsin
Buildings and structures in Juneau County, Wisconsin