Lake Management Plan
The final Northern Chain of Lakes Management Plan [PDF] was developed for Lynch, Plaisted, North & South School Section, and Goggins Lakes in 2016.
Water Quality and Lake Level Data
Water Monitoring by the WCD
The Washington Conservation District (WCD)'s water monitoring team monitors School Section Lakes 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 North and South School Section Lakes can be found at the following links.
- North: dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/lake.html?id=82014900
- South: dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/lake.html?id=82015100
The 100-year high water level for North & South Lakes is 974.5 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 November 2023, BCWD held an online workshop for landowners along the northern chain of lakes. 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 in South School Section Lake
South School Section Lake is home to both native and invasive aquatic plants. An aquatic vegetation survey was most recently completed in 2025, and the results can be found in the resources section below. Learn more about aquatic plants in South School Section Lake and the rest of the watershed on the Aquatic Plants webpage.
Curly-leaf Pondweed Treatment
South School Section Lake was treated for curly-leaf pondweed with an herbicide in 2017. Surveys did not indicate a need for further treatment until 2025. Another curly-leaf pondweed treatment is planned for mid-April to early-May 2026.
Lake Resources
- Northern Chain of Lakes Management Plan [PDF]
- 2025 Aquatic Vegetation Survey Summary - South School Section and Goggins Lakes [PDF]
- Flumioxazin Fact Sheet [PDF] - This describes the chemical herbicide used to treat curly-leaf pondweed.
- 2022 Aquatic Vegetation Survey Summary - South School Section and Goggins Lakes [PDF]
- S. School Section 2019 Vegetative Survey [PDF]
- S. School Section 2018 Vegetative Survey and Update [PDF]
- 2017 Curly Leaf Pondweed Treatment Fact Sheet [PDF]
- Northern Chain of Lakes Animation [GIF] - as water levels increase, water flows from Plaisted to North & South School Section to Goggins Lake. However, before the water level reaches the constructed outlet to Goggins, the water will raise further in South School Section before finally outletting the system at 970.5 ft. The system is monitored regularly and functioned as designed in the last high water cycle in 2019-2020.