Star Lake

On the scoring rubric Star Lake grades a D: clarity at 4.9 ft and phosphorus readings still being added keep it in the lower bracket for Cook County. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

At a TSI of 54, Star Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. Star Lake is a shallow lake at 13 ft maximum depth, which means it warms quickly, mixes constantly, and amplifies nutrient inputs. The lake's 107 acres and 4.6 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Within the 128 graded lakes of Cook County, Star Lake sits at rank 100, near the bottom of the county list.

No invasive species are currently listed at Star Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 5 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.