West Graham Lake

On the scoring rubric West Graham Lake grades a D: clarity at 4.1 ft and 208 µg/L of phosphorus keep it in the lower bracket for Nobles County. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

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. West Graham Lake covers 519 acres alongside 3.7 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Within Nobles County's 6 graded waters, West Graham Lake sits at rank 1, near the top of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at West Graham Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 17 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at West Graham Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.