Blackbird Lake
Becker County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Blackbird Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 50 ft max depth
- Public access
Blackbird Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L.
Blackbird Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Becker County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 50 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 83 other monitored lakes in Becker County, Blackbird Lake ranks #68 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Blackbird Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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 Blackbird 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 Blackbird Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Blackbird Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. Phosphorus 29 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.3 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 29µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Blackbird Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Blackbird Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 74°F) and coldest in Sep (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (74°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 20 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Blackbird Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~50 ft est.
Public access
Yes
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 Blackbird Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
147 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
166 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,450 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.
Recreation & Access
- Blackbird LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Blackbird Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Blackbird 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 Blackbird Lake
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Follow Blackbird Lake’s readings
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Fishing Blackbird Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2022–2025).
Water clarity
Stable4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-3 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.87 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Becker County
Frequently asked questions about Blackbird Lake
Where is Blackbird Lake?
- Blackbird 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 Blackbird Lake?
- Blackbird Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L.
Is Blackbird 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 Blackbird Lake?
- Blackbird Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September, from 20 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Blackbird Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Blackbird Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 50 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Blackbird Lake?
- Blackbird Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Blackbird Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Blackbird Lake?
- Blackbird Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Blackbird Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
54 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA54 samples · 2022–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity, Nephelometric Method
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory