Birch Lake

Birch Lake earns a C — middle-of-the-pack water quality, with one or two parameters dragging the average down from a stronger grade. Secchi readings are the weakest of the three parameters, suggesting suspended sediment or algal biomass dominates the optical signal.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. The lake bottoms out at 18 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Birch Lake covers 160 acres alongside 3.1 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Birch Lake sits at rank 14 of 24 in Sherburne County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Birch Lake carries an invasive watermilfoil record — boat-launch decontamination and shoreline care matter more here than at uninfested lakes. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 13 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Birch Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.