Lake Assessment Program - Ramsey, Wright County

Ramsey Lake is located near the city of Maple Lake in Wright County. With a surface area of 274 acres, it is among the top fifteen percent of lakes in the state in terms of size and with a maximum depth of 80 feet, it is among the top five percent for deep lakes in this region of the state. The total watershed is about 9 square miles that drains to Ramsey Lake. Ramsey Lake is located in the North Central Hardwood Forest (NCHF) ecoregion. Land use in the watershed is characterized primarily by cultivated (44 percent) and urban (City of Maple Lake) uses. These percentages are fairly comparable to other lake watersheds in this region of the state - North Central Hardwood Forests ecoregion. Ramsey Lake was sampled during the summer of 1998 by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) staff and citizens from the Ramsey Lake Association (Association). Summer mean total phosphorus (TP) concentration was 44 ?g/L, which is in the typical range for reference lakes in this region. Chlorophyll a of averaged 25 ?g/L, which is just above the typical range. Secchi transparency averaged 4.3 feet, which is just below the typical range for lakes in the NCHF ecoregion. Total phosphorus, chlorophyll a and Secchi transparency help to characterize the trophic status of a lake. These measures indicate eutrophic conditions for Ramsey Lake.