Earley Lake
Dakota County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Earley Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 28 ft max depth
- Limited data
Earley Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.5 µg/L.
Earley Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Dakota County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 28 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 44 other monitored lakes in Dakota County, Earley Lake ranks #25 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 Earley 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 Earley Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Earley 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 36.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13.5 µg/L. TSI 55.
| 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 | 36.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13.5µg/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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Earley Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Earley Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 81°F) and coldest in Apr (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 36 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Earley Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~28 ft est.
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Earley Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
27 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
909 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Earley Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Earley Lake in Dakota 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 Earley Lake
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Fishing Earley 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.
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Earley Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Ames ConstructionBurnsville · 0.2 mi away · NPDES MN0070408
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 Dakota County
Frequently asked questions about Earley Lake
Where is Earley Lake?
- Earley Lake is a lake in Dakota County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Earley Lake?
- Earley Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.5 µg/L.
Is Earley 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 Earley Lake?
- Earley Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October, from 36 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Earley Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Earley Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 28 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Earley Lake?
- Public access to Earley 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 Earley Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
55 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA55 samples · 2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Analysis of Chlorophyll in Periphyton and Plankton
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