Loring Lake

Loring Lake earns an F: 92 µg/L of phosphorus and clarity at 2.6 ft signal heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. A maximum depth of 16 ft puts Loring Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. At 7 acres, Loring Lake sits below the Minnesota median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Loring Lake ranks 78 of 95 in Hennepin County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Loring Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2023, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery is panfish-dominated — bluegill, crappie, and sunfish among the 3 species documented for the lake. No formal public access is documented at Loring Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. The lake has a long ice-out record — 33 observations on file, with a median ice-out around Apr 3. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.