Crawford Lake
Wright County, Minnesota110 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Crawford Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 19 ft max depth
- Public access
Crawford Lake in Wright County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 25.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 19 ft. Surface area: 110.43 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 6, 2021 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Crawford Lake. DNR survey details →
Crawford Lake is a 110-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Wright County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 19 feet (4-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 50 other monitored lakes in Wright County, Crawford Lake ranks #23 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Crawford Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing12 species recorded
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 Crawford 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 Crawford Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Crawford 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 5.9 ft. Phosphorus 25.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.6 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 25.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.6µg/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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Crawford Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Crawford Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in Sep (about 68°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (68°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 19 field readings (2017–2017) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Crawford Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 6, 2021 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Crawford Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Crawford Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 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: 2021-07-06 (Standard Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2021-07-06 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 57.36 | 5–13 in 2021-07-06 | 0.71 lb |
| Bluegill | 31.51 | 3–7 in 2021-07-06 | 0.1 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 24.56 | 5 in 2019-06-14 | 0.09 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 23.70 | 8–10 in 2021-07-06 | 0.36 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 13.22 | 3–8 in 2021-07-06 | 0.12 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 12.03 | 4–6 in 2021-07-06 | 0.12 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.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Green Sunfish
Black Bullhead
From the 2021-07-06 survey
Crawford Lake is a 109 acre lake located five miles south of the city of Buffalo in Wright County. The lake is shallow (max. depth of 19 feet) with a history of winterkill. The lake was reclaimed using rotenone in 1998, but not all bullheads were killed. An aeration system was purchased and has been used since 2001 to…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Crawford Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CrawfordFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — CrawfordFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — CrawfordPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
19 ft
Average depth
3.6 ft
Surface area
110 acres
Shoreline
1.9 mi
Littoral zone
97%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
925 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Crawford 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 Crawford Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Crawford Lake in Wright 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 Crawford Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Crawford Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2023–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+5 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+3.5 µg/L/yr3 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Crawford Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger.
- Buffalo WwtpBuffalo · 1.9 mi away · NPDES MN0040649Major
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Wright County
Frequently asked questions about Crawford Lake
Where is Crawford Lake?
- Crawford Lake is a lake in Wright County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Crawford Lake?
- Crawford Lake in Wright County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 25.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 19 ft. Surface area: 110.43 acres.
Is Crawford 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 Crawford Lake?
- Crawford Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September, from 19 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2017). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Crawford Lake?
- Crawford Lake has a maximum depth of 19 feet and an average depth of 3.6 feet. The lake covers 110.43 acres.
What fish are in Crawford Lake?
- Fish species found in Crawford Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow perch. Crawford Lake is located in Wright County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Crawford Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 6, 2021 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Crawford Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Crawford Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Crawford Lake?
- Crawford Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Crawford Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Crawford Lake?
- Crawford 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 Crawford Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
42 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA42 samples · 2023–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory