Lake Assessment Program - Long Lake, Kandiyohi County

Long Lake is located in Kandiyohi County. It has a surface area of 1,612 acres. The total watershed is about 7,300 acres including Long Lake. Land use in the watershed is characterized primarily by water and marsh (46 percent), CRP (24 percent), and cultivated (13 percent) uses. These percentages are typical for lake watersheds in this region of the state - North Central Hardwood Forests ecoregion. Long Lake was sampled during the summer of 1997 by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) staff and citizens from the Long Lake Association (Association). Water quality data collected during the study reveal summer-mean total phosphorus (TP) concentrations of 56 ?g/L and 45 ug/L, mean chlorophyll a of 24 ?g/L and 16 ug/L, and Secchi transparency of 7.9 feet and 8.9 feet, for the 101 (north) and 102 (south) sites respectively. The phosphorus and chlorophyll a for Long Lake are on the high end of values exhibited by reference lakes in this ecoregion, while the Secchi value is typical of what would be exhibited by reference lakes in this ecoregion. Total phosphorus, chlorophyll a and Secchi transparency help to characterize the trophic status of a lake. These measures indicate eutrophic conditions for Long Lake.