Moran Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Moran Lake pulls an A: clarity at 11.8 ft and 16 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Minnesota. 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. The lake bottoms out at 32 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 62 acres, Moran Lake sits below the Minnesota median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Moran Lake sits at rank 43 of 77 in Hubbard County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Moran Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2022, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. 6 fish species are on record, with panfish making up the recreational core. A documented public access point at Moran Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.