Kabetogama Lake

Kabetogama Lake pulls a D on the LakeGrade rubric — phosphorus loading and limited clarity hold it below the Minnesota average. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

At a TSI of 52, Kabetogama Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. At 80 ft of maximum depth, Kabetogama Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. Kabetogama Lake covers 24,034 acres alongside 190.5 miles of shoreline, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Within St. Louis County's 215 graded lakes, Kabetogama Lake ranks 161 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

Zebra mussel presence at Kabetogama 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 16 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. Ice-out has been logged at Kabetogama Lake more than two dozen times, putting the median around Apr 29 — 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.