Little Chippewa Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Little Chippewa Lake at a C: clarity at 9.0 ft, phosphorus readings still being added, and a TSI of 45 signal an intermediate trophic state. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. A maximum depth of 24 ft puts Little Chippewa Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. The lake's 271 acres and 2.8 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Little Chippewa Lake ranks 39 of 51 in Douglas County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Little Chippewa Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. Walleye are documented at Little Chippewa Lake, one of 16 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Little Chippewa Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been recorded 5 times at Little Chippewa Lake, with a median around Apr 9. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.