Hiawatha Lake

Hiawatha Lake grades an F: every scored parameter (clarity and phosphorus) rates poorly, placing it among the most stressed lakes monitored in Minnesota. clarity and phosphorus rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

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 33 ft puts Hiawatha Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. At 53 acres, Hiawatha Lake sits below the Minnesota median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Hiawatha Lake ranks 73 of 95 in Hennepin County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Hiawatha Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 12 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The lake has a partial ice record — 14 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 5. 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.