Barnes Lake
Carver County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Barnes Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 25 ft max depth
- Limited data
Barnes Lake in Carver County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 164.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 82 µg/L.
Barnes Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Carver County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 25 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 37 other monitored lakes in Carver County, Barnes Lake ranks #38 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-10-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited 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 Barnes 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.
Water quality measurements for Barnes Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Barnes Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 164.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 82 µg/L. TSI 76.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 165µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 82µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 76 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Barnes Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Barnes Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in Oct (about 52°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (52°F) to its warmest (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 16 field readings (2023–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Barnes Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~25 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 Barnes Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
101 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
955 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 Barnes Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Barnes Lake in Carver 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 readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Barnes Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Barnes Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fishing Barnes Lake
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Barnes Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Norwood WwtfNorwood (Subdivision) · 1.2 mi away · NPDES MN0024392
- HamburgCarver County · 4.6 mi away · NPDES MN0025585
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Carver County
Frequently asked questions about Barnes Lake
Where is Barnes Lake?
- Barnes Lake is a lake in Carver County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Barnes Lake?
- Barnes Lake in Carver County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 164.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 82 µg/L.
Is Barnes Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Barnes Lake?
- Barnes Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in October, from 16 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Barnes Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Barnes Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 25 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 Barnes Lake?
- Public access to Barnes 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.
Explore Barnes Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA16 samples · 2023
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder