Blackhawk Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Blackhawk Lake grades a B, with clarity at 6.9 ft and 25 µg/L of phosphorus placing it above the Minnesota median. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. Blackhawk Lake is a shallow lake at 12 ft maximum depth, which means it warms quickly, mixes constantly, and amplifies nutrient inputs. The lake is compact at 40 acres, with 1.8 miles of shoreline and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Within Dakota County's 36 graded waters, Blackhawk Lake sits at rank 8, near the top of the local distribution.

Eurasian watermilfoil is established at Blackhawk Lake, which can dampen recreational access and pressure the native plant community. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 7, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. A documented public access point at Blackhawk Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.