Upper Tad Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric Upper Tad Lake fails the cutoffs — a TSI of 86 and persistent algal pressure put it in the bottom tier. 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 above 70 puts Upper Tad Lake in hypereutrophic territory: visible blooms are common, and clarity rarely climbs even in early summer. Upper Tad Lake is a shallow lake at 8 ft maximum depth, which means it warms quickly, mixes constantly, and amplifies nutrient inputs. Upper Tad Lake is small — 39 acres alongside 1.7 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Upper Tad Lake ranks 34 of 35 in Kandiyohi County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Upper Tad Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 10 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. No formal public access is documented at Upper Tad Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. 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.