Anchor Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric Anchor Lake fails the cutoffs — a TSI of 64 and persistent algal pressure put it in the bottom tier. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. The lake's 54 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Minnesota — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. Anchor Lake is small — 37 acres alongside 1.1 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Within the 215 graded lakes of St. Louis County, Anchor Lake sits at rank 213, near the bottom of the county list.

No invasive species are currently listed at Anchor Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Anchor Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.