Wakefield Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Wakefield Lake at a C: clarity at 5.9 ft, 51 µg/L of phosphorus, and a TSI of 56 signal an intermediate trophic state. 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.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. A maximum depth of just 8 ft means sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the water column whenever wind stirs the bottom — a classic shallow-lake dynamic. At 22 acres, Wakefield Lake sits below the Minnesota median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Wakefield Lake sits at rank 27 of 49 in Ramsey County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Wakefield Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. 5 fish species are on record, with panfish making up the recreational core. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The lake has a partial ice record — 12 observed ice-outs, centered near Mar 28. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.