Farquar Lake
Dakota County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Farquar Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 40 ft max depth
- Limited data
Farquar Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 114.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 88 µg/L.
Farquar Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Dakota County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 40 feet. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and goldfish. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 44 other monitored lakes in Dakota County, Farquar Lake ranks #42 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
The median ice-out date is March 30, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Farquar Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Farquar Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 30
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. Farquar Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Farquar 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 Farquar Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Farquar 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 1.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 114.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 88 µg/L. TSI 72.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 115µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 88µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 72 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Farquar Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Farquar Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 80°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 85°F) and coldest in Apr (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (53°F) to its warmest (85°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 57 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Farquar Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~40 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 Farquar Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
52 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
896 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 Farquar Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Farquar 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Farquar Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Farquar Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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 →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Farquar Lake
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 30
Earliest Mar 25, 2025 · Latest Apr 13, 2014
Most recent ice-out
Mar 30
2026
3 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Farquar Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN19-0023-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Dakota County
Frequently asked questions about Farquar Lake
Where is Farquar Lake?
- Farquar 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 Farquar Lake?
- Farquar Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 114.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 88 µg/L.
Is Farquar Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Farquar Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Farquar Lake?
- Farquar Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in October, from 57 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Farquar Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Farquar Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 40 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
What fish are in Farquar Lake?
- Fish species found in Farquar Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, goldfish, green sunfish, pumpkinseed. Farquar Lake is located in Dakota County, Minnesota.
When does Farquar Lake thaw?
- Farquar Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 30.
Can I fish at Farquar Lake?
- Public access to Farquar 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 Farquar Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
56 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
MNPCA56 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate