Goose Lake

Goose Lake earns an F: 176 µg/L of phosphorus and clarity at 0.4 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 6 ft deep, Goose Lake is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. The lake's 220 acres and 6.6 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Goose Lake ranks 8 of 10 in Goodhue County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Goose Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Goose Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. Multiple sampling years from Minnesota PCA volunteers and partner agencies back the grade, so the letter should hold steady absent a major watershed shift.