Rays Lake

Rays Lake earns a D — measurements through 2024 show persistent nutrient pressure that limits clarity through the summer. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

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. Rays Lake reaches 32 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Rays Lake covers 169 acres alongside 2.2 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Rays Lake ranks 6 of 14 in Le Sueur County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Eurasian watermilfoil has been documented at Rays Lake, requiring shoreline management to keep dense mats from crowding native vegetation. Walleye are documented at Rays 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 lake has a partial ice record — 7 observed ice-outs, centered near Mar 29. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.