Meander Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Meander Lake at a C: clarity at 8.5 ft, phosphorus readings still being added, and a TSI of 46 signal an intermediate trophic state.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. Meander Lake reaches 25 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Meander Lake is small — 99 acres alongside 2.1 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Meander Lake sits at rank 124 of 187 in St. Louis County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Meander Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 4, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. 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.