Carver Lake
Washington County, Minnesota50 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Carver Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 36 ft max depth
Carver Lake in Washington County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 43 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 36 ft. Surface area: 50.06 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2024 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Carver Lake. DNR survey details →
Carver Lake is a 50-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Washington County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 36 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 74 other monitored lakes in Washington County, Carver Lake ranks #55 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Carver Lake covers about 50 acres in Washington County. The median ice-out date is March 31, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Carver Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Carver Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 31
- Deep water36 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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. Carver Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Carver 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 Carver Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Carver 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 7.4 ft. Phosphorus 43 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 12.2 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 43µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 12.2µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Carver Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Carver Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 56°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 58°F) and coldest in Feb (about 36°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (36°F) to its warmest (58°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 1,085 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Carver Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2024 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Carver Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Carver Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-08-05 (Standard Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2024-08-05 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 32.00 | 2–8 in 2024-08-05 | 0.1 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 27.60 | 8 in 2024-08-05 | 0.36 lb |
| Black Crappie | 10.60 | 4–9 in 2024-08-05 | 0.15 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 6.63 | 6 in 2024-08-05 | 0.08 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.50 | 17–32 in 2024-08-05 | 2.88 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 2.88 | 8 in 2024-08-05 | 0.52 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 2024-08-05 survey
Carver Lake is a 50-acre (24 littoral acre), class 30 lake in Woodbury that has fair water clarity and a typical fish community for a lake in the metro area. The lake is currently managed by the Fishing in the Neighborhood (FiN) program. A large city park on the lake offers many amenities including a swimming beach,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Carver Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CarverFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — CarverFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
36 ft
Surface area
50 acres
Shoreline
1.2 mi
Littoral zone
50%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
902 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Carver Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Carver Lake in Washington 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 Carver Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Carver 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 Carver Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+5.9 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+9.91 µg/L/yr5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 31
Earliest Mar 4, 2024 · Latest Apr 29, 2018
Most recent ice-out
Apr 1
2026
14 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Carver 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 MN82-0166-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Washington County
Frequently asked questions about Carver Lake
Where is Carver Lake?
- Carver Lake is a lake in Washington County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Carver Lake?
- Carver Lake in Washington County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 43 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 36 ft. Surface area: 50.06 acres.
Is Carver Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Carver 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 Carver Lake?
- Carver Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in October, from 1,085 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Carver Lake?
- Carver Lake has a maximum depth of 36 feet. The lake covers 50.06 acres.
What fish are in Carver Lake?
- Fish species found in Carver Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Carver Lake is located in Washington County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Carver Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2024 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Carver Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Carver Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Carver Lake thaw?
- Carver Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 31.
Can I fish at Carver Lake?
- Public access to Carver 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 Carver Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
802 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 Water
MNPCA802 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate