Winkle Lake

Winkle Lake sits at a C on the grading scale — not impaired, not pristine, with summer measurements that vary year to year. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. The lake's surface area is not consistently recorded across state datasets — physical context remains partial. Winkle Lake sits at rank 131 of 187 in St. Louis County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Winkle Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Winkle Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The lake has a partial ice record — 5 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 30. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.