Quill Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Quill Lake grades a B, with clarity at 11.5 ft and phosphorus readings still being added placing it above the Minnesota median. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Quill Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. The lake bottoms out at 46 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. The lake is compact at 85 acres, with 2.8 miles of shoreline and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Quill Lake ranks 47 of 187 in St. Louis County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Quill Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery is bass-led, with 4 documented species across the lake's records. No formal public access is documented at Quill Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.