Emily Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric Emily Lake fails the cutoffs — a TSI of 68 and persistent algal pressure put it in the bottom tier. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. At only 6 ft deep, Emily Lake is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. With 2,316 acres of surface and 12.0 miles of shoreline, Emily Lake is a large water by Minnesota standards — recreational pressure is spread across a long shoreline. Within the 25 graded lakes of Pope County, Emily Lake sits at rank 23, near the bottom of the county list.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Emily Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. Walleye are documented at Emily Lake, one of 26 fish species on record for the lake. 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.