Volney Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Volney Lake at a C: clarity at 5.0 ft, 53 µg/L of phosphorus, and a TSI of 58 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.

At a TSI of 58, Volney Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. Volney Lake is unusually deep for Minnesota at 67 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. At 269 acres, Volney Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 2.5 miles of shoreline. Volney Lake ranks 4 of 14 in Le Sueur County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Eurasian watermilfoil is established at Volney Lake, which can dampen recreational access and pressure the native plant community. Walleye are documented at Volney Lake, one of 12 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Volney Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a long ice-out record — 31 observations on file, with a median ice-out around Apr 3. 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.