Mud Lake

Mud Lake earns an F: 196 µg/L of phosphorus and clarity at 3.0 ft signal heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed. With clarity and phosphorus scored, the sub-grades cluster within a letter of each other, pointing to stable conditions rather than one specific stressor.

A TSI above 70 puts Mud Lake in hypereutrophic territory: visible blooms are common, and clarity rarely climbs even in early summer. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. The lake's surface area is not consistently recorded across state datasets — physical context remains partial. Within Hennepin County's 95 graded lakes, Mud Lake ranks 60 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

Mud Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2022, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Mud Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.