Hydrologic and chemical budgets were determined for the period October 1980 through September 1988 for Vandercook Lake, a 43-ha soft water seepage lake located in predominantly sandy outwash in northern Wisconsin. The 1951-- 1980 mean annual precipitation for the lake, based on nearby National Weather Service (NWS) stations, was 825 mm; volume-weighted pH of bulk atmospheric deposition during the 8-year study averaged 4.7. From October 1980 through September 1983, annual precipitation was 108% of the 30-year NWS average, annual recharge was 144% of the 8-year study period average, and annual groundwater inflow to the lake ranged from 5 to 9% of the total inflow. From October 1986 through September 1988, annual precipitation was 90% of the NWS average, annual recharge was 30% of the study period average, and the lake received no groundwater inflow. During the study, the lake changed from a system whose buffering mechanism was significantly influenced by mineral weathering in inflowing groundwater to one dominated by in-lake sulfate reduction. The functional differences exhibited by this lake during the 8 years of study demonstrate the tenuousness with which conclusions based on shorter-term studies of similar systems must be considered. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1995