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LakeQuality

Ann Lake

F
Grade F — Algae-prone
Algae-prone · #35 of 51 lakes in the county · 4 ft clear · Eutrophic · 375 acres · from D
Eutrophic

Ann Lake in Wright County, Minnesota has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 267 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 34.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 18.5 ft. Surface area: 375.4 acres.

Clarity
4 ft
Typical in August
73°F
Max depth
18.5 ft
Area
375 acres
Type
Eutrophic
Trend
Improving
Public access
Yes
Ice-out
Apr 8

Grade F measures nutrients and algae, not whether this is a good place for a cabin trip. Cabins and rentals near Ann Lake

Next lake in Wright County

CMary Lake8.9 ft clear · Wright CountyView →
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Ann Lake is a 375-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Wright County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 19 feet (10-foot average). Water quality is graded F based on 2 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 50 other monitored lakes in Wright County, Ann Lake ranks #35 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-23. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

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Swimming Safety

Grade only

Algae risk

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

Algae and nutrients are often high — check current advisories before swimming. Skip the water if you see scum or a paint-like bloom

Compare the safest swimming lakes near St. Cloud

Get alerts for Ann Lake

Water Quality Grade: F (Algae-prone)

Murky, only visible to about 4 ft. Phosphorus level: 267 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a: 34.7 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 69.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)4 ftNot graded
Phosphorus267 µg/LPoor
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)34.7 µg/LPoor
Trophic State Index (TSI)69Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Where to stay near Ann Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ann Lake in Wright 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. The water-quality grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Ann Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Ann Lake

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

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →

Water Temperature

Ann Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Nov (about 39°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
40°
Apr
May
59°
Jun
70°
Jul
75°
Aug
73°
Sep
66°
Oct
58°
Nov
39°
Dec
47°

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 350 field readings (20102023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ann Lake water temperature breakdown →

Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)

No current satellite reading

There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Ann Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (524,807 cells/mL) on July 18, 2026.

Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth18.5 ft
Average Depth10.1 ft
Surface Area375 acres
Shoreline Length3.6 mi
Littoral Zone79%
Public AccessYes

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
Elevation
978 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Recreation & Access

2
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Ann LakePublic
  • Dutch LakePublic

Fish Species

Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.

Fishing Ann Lake

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

12 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-09-24 (Targeted Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Black Bullhead86.190.32 lb
Bluegill18.360.17 lb
Yellow Perch17.950.19 lb
Green Sunfish16.800.05 lb
Black Crappie16.520.25 lb
Largemouth Bass12.270.79 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

Length Distributions

Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.

Black Bullhead

372 fish · 520 in · 2016-08-01
9849068101214161820

Bluegill

436 fish · 39 in · 2016-08-01
2151080trophy 103456789

Yellow Perch

480 fish · 59 in · 2016-08-01
14070056789

Green Sunfish

1 fish · 44 in · 2016-08-01
104

From the 2025-09-24 survey

Ann Lake is a popular fishing lake located three miles south of Howard Lake in southern Wright County. The 386-acre lake has a maximum depth of 18.5 feet and a ten-year average water clarity of 3.3 feet. There is one public access located on the west side. The Walleye fishery of Ann Lake has been managed by stocking…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ann Lake. 3 reports on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Improving+0.28 m/yr6
Phosphorus Declining+41.5 µg/L/yr6
Chlorophyll-a Improving-10.74 µg/L/yr6
See year-by-year chart →

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (4 observations).

Typical Ice-Out
Apr 8
EarliestLatest
Ice-Out2016-03-13 (2016)2008-04-23 (2008)
Ice-In2008-11-20 (2008)2008-11-20 (2008)

Most recent ice-out: 2016-03-13

EPA Impairment Status

Ann Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Impaired biota (cause unknown)MercuryNutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN86-0190-00 · Official waterbody report

County Ranking

Ranked #35 of 51 lakes in Wright County

Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades

Ann Lake holds Grade F. 3 nearby lakes hold higher nutrient-and-algae grades — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in Wright County

Frequently asked questions about Ann Lake

What is the water quality grade for Ann Lake?

Ann Lake in Wright County, Minnesota has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 267 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 34.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 18.5 ft. Surface area: 375.4 acres.

Is Ann Lake safe to swim in?

Algae and nutrients are often high — check current advisories before swimming. Skip the water if you see scum or a paint-like bloom. Ann Lake has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Algae concentration (chlorophyll-a) is 34.7 µg/L. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

What is the water temperature of Ann Lake?

Ann Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in August, from 350 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Ann Lake?

Ann Lake has a maximum depth of 18.5 feet and an average depth of 10.1 feet. The lake covers 375.4 acres.

What fish are in Ann Lake?

Fish species found in Ann Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Ann Lake is located in Wright County, Minnesota.

When does Ann Lake thaw?

Ann Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 8.

Does Ann Lake have blue-green algae?

There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Ann Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (524,807 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.

Are there boat ramps on Ann Lake?

Ann Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Ann Lake, Dutch Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Eutrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

165 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA165 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

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

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.

Other records on this page

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory

Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate