Goose Lake

Goose Lake earns an F: phosphorus readings still being added and clarity at 2.5 ft signal heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed. 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. A maximum depth of just 14 ft means sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the water column whenever wind stirs the bottom — a classic shallow-lake dynamic. The lake is compact at 52 acres, with 1.3 miles of shoreline and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Within the 64 graded lakes of Wright County, Goose Lake sits at rank 52, near the bottom of the county list.

Zebra mussel presence at Goose Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 13 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. 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.