Ml Lake

Ml Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Mille Lacs County. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. Ml Lake reaches 42 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. With 128,250 acres of surface and 105.5 miles of shoreline, Ml Lake is a large water by Minnesota standards — recreational pressure is spread across a long shoreline. Ml Lake ranks 3 of 11 in Mille Lacs County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Ml Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. Muskie are on the species list at Ml Lake, alongside the lake's 21 other documented fish. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The lake has a long ice-out record — 105 observations on file, with a median ice-out around Apr 25. The grade is supported by multiple sampling years from Minnesota PCA volunteers and partner agencies, giving the letter a reasonably stable foundation.