Ardmore Lake

Ardmore Lake earns an F: 394 µg/L of phosphorus and clarity at 1.6 ft signal heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed. 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.

Hypereutrophic conditions mean the lake is operating at the upper end of the productivity scale, with all the bloom risk that implies. The lake bottoms out at 20 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. The lake is compact at 13 acres, with 0.6 miles of shoreline and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Ardmore Lake ranks 73 of 95 in Hennepin County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Ardmore Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2023, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Ardmore Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. No formal public access is documented at Ardmore Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.