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. With clarity and phosphorus scored, the sub-grades cluster within a letter of each other, pointing to stable conditions rather than 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. Within Hennepin County's 95 graded lakes, Ardmore Lake ranks 71 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

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.