Mill Pond

Mill Pond earns a D — measurements through 2024 show persistent nutrient pressure that limits clarity through the summer. 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. Mill Pond reaches 18 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Mill Pond is small — 18 acres alongside 0.8 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Within Scott County's 17 graded lakes, Mill Pond ranks 10 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

Mill Pond has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 11 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The lake has a partial ice record — 11 observed ice-outs, centered near Mar 26. 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.