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LakeQuality

Abbey Lake

Becker County, MinnesotaView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Abbey Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
5.5 ft
Typical for Minnesota
Secchi · sampled 2024
Phosphorus
19 µg/L
Typical for Minnesota
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Chlorophyll-a
4.1 µg/L
Typical for Minnesota
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Water temp
~66°F
Typical for Sep · EPA WQP
Max depth
~40 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Type
Mesotrophic
Trophic class
  • Mesotrophic
  • 40 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Abbey Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.1 µg/L.

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Abbey Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Becker County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 40 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 83 other monitored lakes in Becker County, Abbey Lake ranks #52 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Abbey Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited data

Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Abbey Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.

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Water quality measurements for Abbey Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Abbey Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.1 µg/L. TSI 48.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)5.5ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus19µg/LGood
GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)4.1µg/LGood
GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.48Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Abbey Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Water Temperature

Abbey Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Sep (about 66°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
69°
Jun
75°
Jul
69°
Aug
66°
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (66°F) to its warmest (75°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 60 field readings (2018–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Abbey Lake water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

Max depth

~40 ft est.

Public access

No

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Abbey Lake.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

3 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Surface area

264 acres

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

3.4 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,335 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Abbey Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Abbey Lake in Becker County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near Abbey Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

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Fishing Abbey Lake

Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).

  • Water clarity

    Worsening

    6 years

  • Phosphorus

    Worsening

    +0.43 µg/L/yr6 years

  • Chlorophyll-a

    Stable

    -0.05 µg/L/yr6 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Becker County

Frequently asked questions about Abbey Lake

Where is Abbey Lake?

Abbey Lake is a lake in Becker County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Abbey Lake?

Abbey Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.1 µg/L.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Abbey Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

What is the water temperature of Abbey Lake?

Abbey Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 60 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

Temp on this page ↑

How deep is Abbey Lake?

No published bathymetric survey covers Abbey Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 40 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

Can I fish at Abbey Lake?

Public access to Abbey Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.

Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

24 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA24 samples · 2024

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
  • Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
  • 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)

EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.

Other records on this page

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder