Christmas Lake (DNR ID: 27-0137-00)
Sampling Location - GPS Coordinates: 44.8992N, -93.5378W Surface Area: 257 acres Max. Depth: 87 ft
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Christmas Lake is located in the cities of Shorewood and Chanhassen. Public lake access is available from State Hwy 7 in Shorewood. Take Christmas Lake Road south from Hwy 7, then take an immediate left onto Radisson Inn Road. The first right turn is Merry Lane where the access and parking lot are located.
Christmas Lake is a dimictic class 2B lake protected for aquatic life and recreation. Limited water quality information is available beginning in 1976, but regular seasonal sampling did not begin until 1997. The lake has consistently had excellent water quality in comparison to all other lakes in the watershed. MCWD staff have been monitoring the lake on a bi-weekly basis from the time of ice out (April) to the time of fall mixing (mid-October) since 2006.
Currently not available.
Monitoring season started in early May and ended in late October. A YSI multi-probe sonde was used to measure dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature (oC), pH, and specific conductivity (µS/cm) at each meter depth from the water surface to the bottom. Water samples were collected at one meter below the water surface and one meter from the bottom. Additional samples were taken one meter below the thermocline mixing zone once stratification developed. Surface sample parameters analyzed included total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). Surface concentrations of chlorophyll-a were also analyzed and measurements of Secchi disc depth were recorded. Thermocline and bottom samples were analyzed for TP and SRP.
| 2008 Summer Water Quality Summary |
| Parameters | Range | Mean | TSI Value | Lake Grade |
| Months | June - Sept. | May - Sept. | ||
| Secchi Depth (m) | 3.2 - 8.2 | 5.6 | 35 | A |
| Surface TP (µg/L) | 6 - 13 | 9.9 | 37 | A |
| Chlorophyll-a (µg/L) | 1 - 4 | 2.4 | 39 | A |
| Overall Score | 37 | A |
The following summary refers to Figure 4.3 (a-d).
- Secchi disk depth remained consistent around 4.6 m except in June when water clarity increased to around 7 m to 8 m. Secchi disk depth remained over the standard (1.2 m) for the entire season.
- Chlorophyll-a concentrations increased to 6 µg/L in early May and decreased to 2 µg/L in June. From July to October, concentrations were between 2 µg/L and 4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a concentrations remained below the standard limit (< 15 µg/L) for the entire season.
- Surface TP concentrations decreased from 24 µg/L to 10 µg/L by the end of May. Concentrations for the remainder of the season were about 10 µg/L, until the end of October, when concentrations increased to 20 µg/L. TP concentrations remained below the standard limit for the entire season (< 40 µg/L). Surface SRP concentrations remained below the detection limit (< 0.005 µg/L) for the entire season.
- Both bottom TP and SRP concentrations steadily increased throughout the entire season.
Lake Grades and Historical Monitoring Summaries
When available, previous reports are linked to applicable year. Additional lake data previous to 2007 may be available in the applicable year's hydrodata report. If you have additional questions or you are looking for specific information please contact MCWD's Water Quality Staff.
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