Lake Management Plan
Benz Lake and its entire 282 acre watershed are located in the City of Grant, Minnesota, in the central portion of the Brown’s Creek Watershed District. The Benz Lake Management Plan [PDF] was developed in 2009.
Water Quality and Lake Level Data
Water Monitoring by the WCD
The Washington Conservation District (WCD)'s water monitoring team monitors Benz Lake for water quality every two weeks from spring through fall each year. The previous year's data becomes available each spring in the BCWD Monitoring Summary, which can be found on the Monitoring and Data Collection webpage. The lakes are listed alphabetically in Appendix A.
LakeFinder Data
The data collected by the WCD, including lake elevations, are reported regularly to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to be added into LakeFinder. LakeFinder data for Benz Lake can be found at dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/lake.html?id=82012000. The 100-year high water level for Benz Lake is 956.51 ft. See BCWD's Flooding webpage for tips on how to plan for high water.
Education and Events
2023 Water Quality and Flood Risk Workshop
In October 2023, BCWD held an online workshop for Benz Lake landowners. The purpose of the meeting was to empower residents to help protect water quality, restore native shoreline, and make personal choices about how to respond to their level of flood risk. The agenda included an overview of shallow lake ecology, sharing results of water quality and flooding assessments, and offering free site visits and technical assistance. Watch the meeting recording on YouTube.
Aquatic Vegetation
The aquatic plants in Benz lake have been indicative of good water quality since dramatic clarity improvements in 2016. This has allowed more sunlight to reach the bottom and helped aquatic plants grow. Aquatic vegetation surveys were completed in XXXX and 2025 to assess the presence of both native and invasive aquatic plants. Native species that have been found to be common in Benz Lake are fern-leaf pondweed, white water lily, and Canadian waterweed. One invasive species has been found: curly-leaf pondweed (CLP), however not at high enough levels to warrant treatment. Learn more about the aquatic plants in Benz Lake and the rest of the watershed on the Aquatic Plants webpage.