Lake Assessment Program - Lake Linka, Pope County

Lake Linka is a small lake (179 acres) located in Pope County just north of Gilchrist. Land use in the watershed is primarily characterized by agricultural uses (43 percent) and water and marsh (34 percent). This land use composition is fairly typical for lakes in this region of the state - North Central Hardwood Forests ecoregion. Lakes and wetlands in the watershed will serve to trap nutrients and sediments arising from the watershed. Lake Linka was sampled during the summer of 1992 by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) staff and citizens from the Lake Linka Yacht Club (Association). Water quality data collected during the study reveal a mean total phosphorus concentration of 31 ?g/L, mean chlorophyll~ of 4.5 ?g/L and Secchi transparency of 10.7 feet. These values are within the range of values exhibited by representative minimally-impacted lakes in this ecoregion. Total phosphorus, chlorophyll~ and Secchi transparency help to characterize the trophic status of a lake. For Lake Linka these measures indicate mesotrophic conditions.