Krays Lake

Krays Lake earns an F: 150 µg/L of phosphorus and clarity at 3.0 ft signal heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed. 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 69, Krays Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. The lake bottoms out at 40 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Krays Lake is small — 95 acres alongside 2.7 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Within the 55 graded lakes of Stearns County, Krays Lake sits at rank 51, near the bottom of the county list.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Krays Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. Walleye are documented at Krays Lake, one of 15 fish species on record for the lake. 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.