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LakeQuality

Eagle Lake

A
Grade A — Excellent
Excellent · #3 of 25 lakes in the county · 6.9 ft clear · Mesotrophic · 849 acres · from B
Mesotrophic

Eagle Lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 6.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 67 ft. Surface area: 849.47 acres.

Clarity
6.9 ft
Typical in August
74°F
Max depth
67 ft
Area
849 acres
Type
Mesotrophic
Trend
Declining
Public access
Yes
Ice-out
Apr 6
Open water
244 days

Next lake in Kandiyohi County

FLong Lake5 ft clear · Kandiyohi CountyView →
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Free interactive depth-contour map of Eagle Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 60 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.

Eagle Lake is a 849-acre mesotrophic lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 67 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 17 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 24 other monitored lakes in Kandiyohi County, Eagle Lake ranks #3 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-25. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

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Swimming Safety

Grade only

Low algae

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

Excellent for swimming, crystal clear water with minimal algae

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Willmar

Get alerts for Eagle Lake

Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)

Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft. Phosphorus level: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a: 7 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 49.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)6.9 ftNot graded
Phosphorus23 µg/LGood
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)7 µg/LGood
Trophic State Index (TSI)49Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Where to stay near Eagle Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Eagle Lake in Kandiyohi 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 Eagle Lake

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 →

Water Temperature

Eagle Lake typically sits around 74°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in May (about 59°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
59°
Jun
70°
Jul
77°
Aug
74°
Sep
69°
Oct
Nov
Dec

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 90 field readings (20102025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Eagle Lake water temperature breakdown →

Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)

No current satellite reading

There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Eagle Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was moderate (29,648 cells/mL) on July 9, 2026.

Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth67 ft
Surface Area849 acres
Shoreline Length5 mi
Littoral Zone32%
Public AccessYes

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
17 sq mi
Elevation
1,119 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Recreation & Access

2
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Eagle LakePublic
  • Point LakePublic

Fish Species

Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.

Fishing Eagle 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.

zebra mussel

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

19 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Bluntnose Minnow150.13
Spottail Shiner63.13
Bluegill44.470.16 lb
BKF33.89
IOD28.75
Yellow Perch22.740.11 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

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

48 fish · 38 in · 2025-07-07
1370345678

Yellow Perch

25 fish · 56 in · 2025-07-07
2111056

From the 2025-07-07 survey

A standard survey of Eagle Lake was conducted during early-July of 2025. A fall night electrofishing survey was conducted for young of year "YOY" (fingerling sized) Walleye in early October of 2025. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e. spawning season, fall…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Eagle Lake. 3 reports on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Improving+0.184 m/yr6
Phosphorus Declining+2.89 µg/L/yr6
Chlorophyll-a Declining+0.7 µg/L/yr6
See year-by-year chart →

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (20 observations).

Typical Ice-Out
Apr 6
Typical Ice-In
Dec 6

Estimated open water season: 244 days

EarliestLatest
Ice-Out2017-03-08 (2017)2018-05-01 (2018)
Ice-In2002-11-24 (2002)2024-01-07 (2024)

Most recent ice-out: 2020-04-03

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Eagle Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Eagle Lake (completed 1941), built primarily for fish and wildlife pond on the Hawk Creek; earth-type dam, 7 ft tall.

Surface area
819 ac
Normal storage
1,638 ac-ft
Max storage
25,000 ac-ft
Drainage area
17.8 sq mi
Hazard class
Low
Owner
MNDNR-Fisheries

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN01153 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Eagle Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Impaired biota (cause unknown)Mercury

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN34-0171-00 · Official waterbody report

County Ranking

Ranked #3 of 25 lakes in Kandiyohi County

Nearby Lakes in Kandiyohi County

Frequently asked questions about Eagle Lake

What is the water quality grade for Eagle Lake?

Eagle Lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 6.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 67 ft. Surface area: 849.47 acres.

Is Eagle Lake safe to swim in?

Excellent for swimming, crystal clear water with minimal algae. Eagle Lake has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Algae concentration (chlorophyll-a) is 7 µg/L. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

What is the water temperature of Eagle Lake?

Eagle Lake typically sits around 74°F at the surface in August, from 90 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Eagle Lake?

Eagle Lake has a maximum depth of 67 feet. The lake covers 849.47 acres.

What fish are in Eagle Lake?

Fish species found in Eagle Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, highfin carpsucker, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Eagle Lake is located in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.

When does Eagle Lake thaw?

Eagle Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 6. Ice typically forms around Dec 6. The open water season is approximately 244 days.

Does Eagle Lake have blue-green algae?

There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Eagle Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was moderate (29,648 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.

Are there boat ramps on Eagle Lake?

Eagle Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Eagle Lake, Point Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Where this data comes from

100 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 WaterMNPCA100 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
  • Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
  • 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (2)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory

Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate