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LakeQuality

East Vadnais Lake

A
Grade A — Excellent
Excellent · #5 of 44 lakes in the county · Mesotrophic · 393 acres · from B
Mesotrophic

East Vadnais Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 58 ft. Surface area: 392.92 acres.

Max depth
58 ft
Area
393 acres
Type
Mesotrophic
Trend
Declining
Public access
No

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East Vadnais Lake is a 393-acre mesotrophic lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 58 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 15 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Ramsey County, East Vadnais Lake ranks #5 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-24. 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 St. Paul

Get alerts for East Vadnais Lake

Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)

No clarity data. Phosphorus level: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a: 3.3 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 46.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)No recent samples
Phosphorus23 µg/LGood
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)3.3 µg/LGood
Trophic State Index (TSI)46Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Where to stay near East Vadnais Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near East Vadnais Lake in Ramsey 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 East Vadnais Lake

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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth58 ft
Surface Area393 acres
Shoreline Length4.9 mi
Littoral Zone35%
Public AccessNo

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
14 sq mi
Elevation
873 ft

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

Fish Species

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

Fishing East Vadnais 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.

Eurasian watermilfoilzebra mussel

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2014-07-07 (Standard Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Yellow Perch38.890.15 lb
Black Bullhead35.840.53 lb
Bluegill18.560.15 lb
Walleye11.131.74 lb
White Crappie5.090.58 lb
Northern Pike4.732.13 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.

Yellow Perch

1 fish · 55 in · 2014-07-07
105

Black Bullhead

1 fish · 1414 in · 2014-07-07
1014

Bluegill

504 fish · 37 in · 2014-07-07
19296034567

Walleye

45 fish · 727 in · 2014-07-07
840trophy 248101214161820222426

From the 2014-07-07 survey

East Vadnais Lake is an integral part of the St. Paul water system and falls within the boundaries of the Snail Lake Regional Park. The St. Paul Water Utility controls the access and surface use of all bodies of water within it. There is no surface use permitted on East Vadnais Lake, though shorefishing is allowed…

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 East Vadnais Lake. 1 report 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 Declining-0.139 m/yr6
Phosphorus Declining+2.6 µg/L/yr6
Chlorophyll-a Declining+1.62 µg/L/yr6
See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

East Vadnais Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN62-0038-01 · Official waterbody report

County Ranking

Ranked #5 of 44 lakes in Ramsey County

Nearby Lakes in Ramsey County

Frequently asked questions about East Vadnais Lake

What is the water quality grade for East Vadnais Lake?

East Vadnais Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 58 ft. Surface area: 392.92 acres.

Is East Vadnais Lake safe to swim in?

Excellent for swimming, crystal clear water with minimal algae. East Vadnais Lake has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Algae concentration (chlorophyll-a) is 3.3 µg/L. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

How deep is East Vadnais Lake?

East Vadnais Lake has a maximum depth of 58 feet. The lake covers 392.92 acres.

What fish are in East Vadnais Lake?

Fish species found in East Vadnais Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. East Vadnais Lake is located in Ramsey County, Minnesota.

Where this data comes from

110 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA110 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

  • Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
  • 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)

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