Grace Lake

On the scoring rubric Grace Lake grades a D: clarity at 2.6 ft and 88 µg/L of phosphorus keep it in the lower bracket for Carver County. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

At a TSI of 66, Grace Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. A maximum depth of 22 ft puts Grace Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. At 20 acres, Grace Lake sits below the Minnesota median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Grace Lake sits at rank 23 of 40 in Carver County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Eurasian watermilfoil is established at Grace Lake, which can dampen recreational access and pressure the native plant community. The fishery is bass-led, with 11 documented species across the lake's records. No formal public access is documented at Grace Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. 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.