Mud Lake

Mud Lake sits at a C on the grading scale — not impaired, not pristine, with summer measurements that vary year to year. The lake's weakest score is on Secchi depth — the water looks more turbid than its phosphorus number alone would predict.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. At 65 ft of maximum depth, Mud Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. The lake is compact at 57 acres, with 1.1 miles of shoreline and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Mud Lake ranks 22 of 64 in Wright County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Mud Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2023, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Walleye are documented at Mud Lake, one of 15 fish species on record for the lake. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.