Lake Assessment Program - Fountain Lake, Freeborn County

Fountain Lake was sampled during the summer of 1992 as part of a cooperative project between Freeborn County, Albert Lea Technical College and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The goal of the study was to assess the current condition of the lake to establish a baseline for comparison of future conditions. Data collected during the study showed that in terms of total phosphorus, chlorophyll a, and Secchi disk transparency, the water quality of Fountain Lake is similar to or slightly poorer than similar lakes in the ecoregion. This observation is not surprising considering the large of the watershed, and the morphometry of the lake basin. The mean summer concentrations of total phosphorus and chlorophyll were 160 and 69 ug/1 respectively, and the mean Secchi disk transparency was 1.6 feet (0.4 meters). Based on these water quality values Fountain Lake would be considered eutrophic to hypereutrophic.