Stella Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Stella Lake at a C: clarity at 7.5 ft, phosphorus readings still being added, and a TSI of 48 signal an intermediate trophic state. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI near 48 places Stella Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. At 75 ft of maximum depth, Stella Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. Stella Lake covers 599 acres alongside 4.7 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Stella Lake ranks 5 of 23 in Meeker County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Stella Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. Walleye are documented at Stella 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. Ice-out has been logged at Stella Lake more than two dozen times, putting the median around Apr 7 — a useful baseline for tracking climate trends. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.