Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake earns a C — middle-of-the-pack water quality, with one or two parameters dragging the average down from a stronger grade. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. A maximum depth of 26 ft puts Crystal Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. Crystal Lake is small — 31 acres alongside 1.3 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Crystal Lake ranks 5 of 17 in Scott County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Crystal Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 7, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.