Champlin Mill Pond
Hennepin County, Minnesota37 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Champlin Mill Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 11 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Champlin Mill Pond in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 184.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 11 ft. Surface area: 37.22 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Champlin Mill Pond. DNR survey details →
Champlin Mill Pond is a 37-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 11 feet (4-foot average). The lake supports 14 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 80 other monitored lakes in Hennepin County, Champlin Mill Pond ranks #21 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2021-10-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Champlin Mill Pond covers about 37 acres in Hennepin County. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Champlin Mill Pond, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Champlin Mill Pond is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Fishing14 species recorded
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 Champlin Mill Pond 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 Champlin Mill Pond
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Champlin Mill Pond, 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 4.9 ft. Phosphorus 184.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6 µg/L. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 185µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6µg/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. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Champlin Mill Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Champlin Mill Pond typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Apr (about 50°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (50°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 112 field readings (2010–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Champlin Mill Pond water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Champlin Mill Pond.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Champlin Mill Pond’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 66.90 | 4–11 in 2025-07-07 | 0.14 lb |
| Northern Pike | 7.67 | 11–30 in 2025-07-07 | 1.58 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 6.97 | 3–5 in 2025-07-07 | 0.13 lb |
| Bluegill | 6.19 | 3–7 in 2025-07-07 | 0.16 lb |
| White Sucker | 4.81 | 15–20 in 2025-07-07 | 1.76 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 3.88 | 5–11 in 2025-07-07 | 0.42 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.
Black Bullhead
Northern Pike
Pumpkinseed
Bluegill
From the 2025-07-07 survey
Champlin Mill Pond is a 34-acre impoundment of Elm Creek adjacent to and that flows into the Mississippi River. The lake is on the site of a historic mill. The old dam was replaced, and Lower Mill Pond was dewatered and dredged to increase the maximum depth to 15 feet in the fall of 2017. Additionally, the land…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Champlin Mill Pond. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Champlin Mill PondFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Champlin Mill PondFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
11 ft
Average depth
4 ft
Surface area
37 acres
Shoreline
2.3 mi
Littoral zone
98%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Akin RiversidePublic
- Mississippi River Point ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Champlin Mill Pond
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Champlin Mill Pond 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Champlin Mill Pond
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Champlin Mill Pond
- → Champlin Mill Pond fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Champlin Mill Pond fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Champlin Mill Pond fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Champlin Mill Pond? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Champlin Mill Pond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Elm Creek (completed 2017), built primarily for recreation on the Elm Creek; gravity-type dam, 22 ft tall and 52 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 650 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 104 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- City of Champlin
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00520 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Hennepin County
Frequently asked questions about Champlin Mill Pond
Where is Champlin Mill Pond?
- Champlin Mill Pond 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 Champlin Mill Pond?
- Champlin Mill Pond in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 184.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 11 ft. Surface area: 37.22 acres.
Is Champlin Mill Pond 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 Champlin Mill Pond?
- Champlin Mill Pond typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October, from 112 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Champlin Mill Pond?
- Champlin Mill Pond has a maximum depth of 11 feet and an average depth of 4 feet. The lake covers 37.22 acres.
What fish are in Champlin Mill Pond?
- Fish species found in Champlin Mill Pond include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Champlin Mill Pond is located in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Champlin Mill Pond?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Champlin Mill Pond. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Champlin Mill Pond’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Champlin Mill Pond?
- Champlin Mill Pond has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Akin Riverside, Mississippi River Point Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Champlin Mill Pond?
- Champlin Mill Pond has 2 documented boat landings 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 Champlin Mill Pond across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
45 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA45 samples · 2021
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 4500 N C ~ Persufate Method for Total Nitrogen
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory