Indian Lake

Indian Lake sits at a C on the grading scale — not impaired, not pristine, with summer measurements that vary year to year. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Indian Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of 37 ft puts Indian Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. At 157 acres, Indian Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 3.5 miles of shoreline. Indian Lake ranks 80 of 97 in Otter Tail County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Indian Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2021, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery is bass-led, with 7 documented species across the lake's records. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. Ice-out has been logged at Indian Lake more than two dozen times, putting the median around Apr 13 — a useful baseline for tracking climate trends. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.