Sylvia Lake

Sylvia Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

A TSI near 44 places Sylvia Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. The lake's 56 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Minnesota — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. Sylvia Lake is small — 85 acres alongside 2.0 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Among the 55 graded lakes in Stearns County, Sylvia Lake sits at rank 15, above the county median.

Zebra mussel presence at Sylvia Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 19 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The lake has a partial ice record — 9 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 16. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.