Tom Lake

Tom Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. Secchi readings are the weakest of the three parameters, suggesting suspended sediment or algal biomass dominates the optical signal.

The lake's low TSI puts it in oligotrophic territory — the cleanest of the four trophic classes, but also the most vulnerable to nutrient-driven shifts. A maximum depth of 35 ft puts Tom Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. At 404 acres, Tom Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 8.2 miles of shoreline. Tom Lake ranks 49 of 128 in Cook County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Tom Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Walleye are documented at Tom Lake, one of 5 fish species on record for the lake. 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.