Lake Assessment Program 2000 - Star Lake, Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Star Lake is located in Otter Tail County approximately 3 miles southwest of Dent. This lake has a surface area of 4721 acres and a maximum depth of 94 feet. Mean depth of the lake is estimated at 22 feet. The watershed of Star Lake is approximately 52, 365 acres (this includes the lake surface area). Land use in the watershed is characterized by open water/marsh (40 percent), forested: (23 percent), cultivated (20%), grassland/pasture (16%), and residential/urban areas (the remaining 1 percent). These land use percentages are typical of what would be expected for lake watersheds in this region of the state, the North Central Hardwood Forests (NCHF) ecoregion. Star Lake was sampled during the summer of 2000 by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) staff. Water quality data collected during the study reveal a summer mean phosphorus concentration of 15 ug/L, meaning chlorophyll-a of 5 ug/L and Secchi transparency of 10.8 feet. All there of these values are well within the range of values exhibited by reference lakes in the NCHR ecoregion. Total phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and Secchi transparency help to characterize the trophic status of a lake. For Star Lake, these measures indicate mesotrophic conditions.