Lemay Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Lemay Lake grades a B, with clarity at 6.9 ft and 27 µg/L of phosphorus placing it above the Minnesota median. 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.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. The lake bottoms out at 16 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Lemay Lake is small — 36 acres alongside 1.2 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Among the 36 graded lakes in Dakota County, Lemay Lake ranks 7 — in the top quartile locally.

Lemay Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 8, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. No formal public access is documented at Lemay Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.