Currant Lake
Murray County, Minnesota406 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Currant Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- 10 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Currant Lake in Murray County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 160 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 9.5 ft. Surface area: 405.74 acres.
Currant Lake is a 406-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Murray County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 10 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Murray County, Currant Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Currant Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing9 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Currant Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Currant 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 Currant Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Currant Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 160 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4 µg/L. TSI 64.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 160µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4µg/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. | 64 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Currant Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Currant Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 80°F) and coldest in Aug (about 72°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (72°F) to its warmest (80°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 13 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Currant Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
9.5 ft
Surface area
406 acres
Shoreline
4 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Currant Lake (East)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Currant Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Currant Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Currant Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Currant Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN51-0082-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Murray County
Frequently asked questions about Currant Lake
Where is Currant Lake?
- Currant Lake is a lake in Murray County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Currant Lake?
- Currant Lake in Murray County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 160 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 9.5 ft. Surface area: 405.74 acres.
Is Currant Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Currant Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Currant Lake?
- Currant Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September, from 13 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Currant Lake?
- Currant Lake has a maximum depth of 9.5 feet. The lake covers 405.74 acres.
What fish are in Currant Lake?
- Fish species found in Currant Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, brown bullhead, common carp, orangespotted sunfish, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Currant Lake is located in Murray County, Minnesota.
Are there boat ramps on Currant Lake?
- Currant Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Currant Lake (East). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Currant Lake?
- Currant 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 Currant Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA9 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory