Brownie Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota10 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Brownie Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 47 ft max depth
Brownie Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 44 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 17.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 10.25 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 11, 2005 caught 2.00 bluegill per gill net at Brownie Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–6 inches. DNR survey details →
Brownie Lake is a 10-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 47 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 80 other monitored lakes in Hennepin County, Brownie Lake ranks #47 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Brownie Lake covers about 10 acres in Hennepin County. The median ice-out date is April 4, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Brownie Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Brownie Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 4
- Deep water47 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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. Brownie Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Brownie 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 Brownie Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Brownie 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 ft. Phosphorus 44 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 17.7 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 44µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 17.7µg/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. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Brownie Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Brownie Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 54°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 56°F) and coldest in Feb (about 41°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (41°F) to its warmest (56°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 312 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Brownie Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 11, 2005 caught 2.00 bluegill per gill net at Brownie Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–6 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Brownie Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2005-07-11 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2005-07-11 (Standard Survey)
21 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 23.77 | 4–6 in 2005-07-11 | 0.1 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 9.80 | 7 in 2005-07-11 | 0.29 lb |
| Black Crappie | 5.13 | 6–7 in 2005-07-11 | 0.14 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 4.50 | 7 in 1993-07-26 | 0.13 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 1.61 | 4–5 in 2005-07-11 | 0.09 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 1.50 | 10 in 1993-07-26 | 0.58 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
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.
Bluegill
Black Bullhead
Black Crappie
Golden Shiner
From the 2005-07-11 survey
Brownie Lake is a 12-acre, class 30 lake, located near downtown Minneapolis. Brownie Lake, accessible via a channel from Cedar Lake, lies within a chain of lakes that includes Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles and Lake Calhoun. The sportfish community consists of black crappie, bluegill, and pumpkinseed sunfish. Other…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Brownie Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BrownieFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
47 ft
Surface area
10 acres
Shoreline
0.6 mi
Littoral zone
76%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Brownie Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Brownie Lake in Hennepin 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 Brownie Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Brownie 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.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Brownie Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.36 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.8 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 4
Earliest Mar 4, 2024 · Latest Apr 14, 2023
Most recent ice-out
Mar 4
2024
9 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Brownie Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN27-0038-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hennepin County
Frequently asked questions about Brownie Lake
Where is Brownie Lake?
- Brownie Lake is a lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Brownie Lake?
- Brownie Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 44 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 17.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 10.25 acres.
Is Brownie Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Brownie Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Brownie Lake?
- Brownie Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October, from 312 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Brownie Lake?
- Brownie Lake has a maximum depth of 47 feet. The lake covers 10.25 acres.
What fish are in Brownie Lake?
- Fish species found in Brownie Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, pumpkinseed. Brownie Lake is located in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Brownie Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 11, 2005 caught 2.00 bluegill per gill net at Brownie Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–6 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Brownie Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Brownie Lake thaw?
- Brownie Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 4.
Can I fish at Brownie Lake?
- Public access to Brownie 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 Brownie Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
285 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA285 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity, Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate