Charlotte Lake

Charlotte Lake earns an F: 237 µg/L of phosphorus and clarity at 0.9 ft signal heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

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's 468 acres and 8.1 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 Stevens County's 6 graded lakes, Charlotte Lake ranks 4 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

Charlotte Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2021, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 10 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.