Clear Lake

Clear Lake sits at the top of the Minnesota PCA grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Minnesota. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI near 42 places Clear Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. A maximum depth of 27 ft puts Clear Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. Clear Lake is small — 42 acres alongside 1.3 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Clear Lake ranks 6 of 83 in Washington County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

No invasive species are currently listed at Clear Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery is bass-led, with 6 documented species across the lake's records. No formal public access is documented at Clear Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. Multiple sampling years from Minnesota PCA volunteers and partner agencies back the grade, so the letter should hold steady absent a major watershed shift.