Stocking Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Stocking Lake at a C: clarity at 7.5 ft, 32 µg/L of phosphorus, and a TSI of 51 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 in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. Stocking Lake reaches 22 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. The lake's 362 acres and 4.2 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Stocking Lake sits at rank 3 of 4 in Wadena County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

An invasive species record — faucet snail — has been logged at Stocking Lake; Minnesota PCA maintains the official infested-waters list. Walleye are documented at Stocking Lake, one of 14 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 long ice-out record — 30 observations on file, with a median ice-out around Apr 16. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.