O'Dowd Lake

On the scoring rubric O'Dowd Lake grades a D: clarity at 5.0 ft and phosphorus readings still being added keep it in the lower bracket for Scott 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.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. A maximum depth of 22 ft puts O'Dowd Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. The lake's 301 acres and 9.3 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. O'Dowd Lake sits at rank 11 of 17 in Scott County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Eurasian watermilfoil has been documented at O'Dowd Lake, requiring shoreline management to keep dense mats from crowding native vegetation. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 10 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The lake has a partial ice record — 6 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 3. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.