Clear Lake

Clear Lake earns an F: 310 µg/L of phosphorus and clarity at 1.2 ft signal heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

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 18 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. The lake's 279 acres and 2.9 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Clear Lake ranks 13 of 16 in Le Sueur County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Clear Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 11 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.