Boot Lake

On the scoring rubric Boot Lake grades a D: clarity at 5.5 ft and phosphorus readings still being added keep it in the lower bracket for St. Louis County. 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.

At a TSI of 53, Boot Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. Boot Lake reaches 27 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. The lake's 323 acres and 7.3 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Within the 187 graded lakes of St. Louis County, Boot Lake sits at rank 166, near the bottom of the county list.

No invasive species are currently listed at Boot Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Boot 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. 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.