Gander Lake

Gander Lake earns a D — measurements through 2020 show persistent nutrient pressure that limits clarity through the summer. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. At only 7 ft deep, Gander Lake is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. At 117 acres, Gander Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 3.5 miles of shoreline. Within the 142 graded lakes of Lake County, Gander Lake sits at rank 126, near the bottom of the county list.

Gander Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2020, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The lake's fish records list 4 species — a varied community without one dominant gamefish. No formal public access is documented at Gander Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. Ice-out has been recorded 5 times at Gander Lake, with a median around Apr 27. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.