Long Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric Long Lake fails the cutoffs — a TSI of 77 and persistent algal pressure put it in the bottom tier. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI above 70 puts Long Lake in hypereutrophic territory: visible blooms are common, and clarity rarely climbs even in early summer. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. The lake's surface area is not consistently recorded across state datasets — physical context remains partial. Long Lake ranks 3 of 6 in Cottonwood County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Long Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Long Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. No formal public access is documented at Long Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.