Pomme de Terre Lake

Pomme de Terre Lake pulls a D on the LakeGrade rubric — phosphorus loading and limited clarity hold it below the Minnesota average. 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 23 ft puts Pomme de Terre Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. Pomme de Terre Lake covers 1,816 acres alongside 14.0 miles of shoreline, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Pomme de Terre Lake ranks 5 of 10 in Grant County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Pomme de Terre Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. Walleye are documented at Pomme de Terre Lake, one of 22 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Pomme de Terre 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.