Fox Lake

Fox Lake earns an F: 197 µg/L of phosphorus and clarity at 0.6 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. At only 9 ft deep, Fox Lake is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. The lake's 172 acres and 2.7 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Fox Lake ranks 3 of 10 in Murray County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Fox Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Walleye are documented at Fox Lake, one of 11 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Fox Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.