St. Albans Bay (DNR ID: 27-0133-04)
Sampling Location GPS Coordinates: Surface Area: 164 acres Max. Depth: 44 ft
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St. Albans Bay is located near the cities of Excelsior and Greenwood on Lake Minnetonka. Head west on Minnetonka Blvd toward Maplewood Rd, and turn left to stay on Minnetonka Blvd. Next turn right to stay on Minnetonka Blvd. Public boat launch is on the right.
St. Albans Bay is on Lake Minnetonka which is a class 2B lake protected for aquatic life and recreation. Water quality information is available beginning in 1997. MCWD staff have been monitoring the site on St. Albans Bay 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 late April 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. Surface and bottom sample parameters analyzed included total phosphorus (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total nitrogen (TN), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), nitrate/nitrite (NO3/NO2) and ammonia (NH4). Surface concentrations of chlorophyll-a were also analyzed and measurements of Secchi disc depth were recorded.
| 2008 Summer Water Quality Summary |
| Parameters | Range | Mean | TSI Value | Lake Grade |
| Months | June - Sept. | May - Sept. | ||
| Secchi Depth (m) | 1.0 - 5.5 | 3.3 | 43 | A |
| Surface TP (µg/L) | 12 - 20 | 15.7 | 44 | A |
| Chlorophyll-a (µg/L) | 1 - 9 | 4.7 | 46 | A |
| Overall Score | 44 | A |
The following summary refers to Figure 3.41 (a-d).
- Secchi disk depth decreased from 2.1 m to 1.8 m by early May then by late June secchi disk depth increased to 5.5 m. From August to the middle of September, water clarity decreased, and in response secchi disk depth declined. The rest of the season, secchi disk depth increased from 1 m to 4.6 m (standard > 1.2 m).
- Chlorophyll-a concentrations decreased from 11 µg/L to 1 µg/L from late April to early July. Concentrations increased from 3 µg/L to 9 µg/L by early September. The remainder of the season, there chlorophyll-a concentrations declined (standard < 15 µg/L).
- Surface TP concentrations were below the standard limit for the season (< 40 µg/L) and fluctuated between 14 µg/L and 30 µg/L. Surface SRP concentrations were below detection limit (< 0.005 µg/L) except in early September*. *Early September surface and bottom samples may have been mislabeled which may explain the change in both SRP concentrations.
- In general, bottom TP and SRP concentrations increased over the season with concentrations peaking in early August and the middle of September. Late August SRP concentration was greater than TP which may be due to silica interference within the SRP sample. Further research is needed to confirm interference (email correspondence; RMB, 2008). *See above explanation for the change in the early September bottom SRP result.
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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