Goose Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota11 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Goose Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 8 ft max depth
Goose Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 132.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 96.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 11.4 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 6, 2022 caught 1.50 black crappie per trap net at Goose Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–5 inches. DNR survey details →
Goose Lake is a 11-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 8 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 2 documented fish species including black bullhead and black crappie. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 80 other monitored lakes in Hennepin County, Goose Lake ranks #63 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-10-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Goose Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Goose 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 Goose Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Goose 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 0.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 132.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 96.5 µg/L. TSI 77.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 132µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 96.5µg/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. | 77 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Goose Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Goose Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in Apr (about 46°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (46°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 95 field readings (2011–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Goose Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 6, 2022 caught 1.50 black crappie per trap net at Goose Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–5 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Goose Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-07-06 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2022-07-06 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 96.56 | 4–8 in 2022-07-06 | 0.11 lb |
| Black Crappie | 8.17 | 4–5 in 2022-07-06 | 0.36 lb |
| Bluegill | 4.71 | 1–6 in 1996-07-02 | 0.2 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 0.33 | 0.1 lb | |
| White Crappie | 0.33 | 0.8 lb | |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 0.33 | 0.2 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
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.
Black Bullhead
Black Crappie
Bluegill
From the 2022-07-06 survey
Boundary Creek Pond is part of Fishing in the Neighborhood. It is an eleven-acre lake, and the maximum depth is 8 feet. The lake was last stocked in 2014 and the pier was removed in 2022. The City of Maple Grove has planned to replace it in 2023. Only 2 fish species were captured in 2022. Black Bullhead and Black…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Goose Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Boundary Creek PondFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Boundary Creek PondFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
8 ft
Surface area
11 acres
Shoreline
0.6 mi
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
863 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Goose Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Goose Lake in Hennepin 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 Goose Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Goose 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
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Fishing Goose Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+6 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-28.3 µg/L/yr2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Goose 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 MN27-0122-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hennepin County
Frequently asked questions about Goose Lake
Where is Goose Lake?
- Goose Lake is a lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Goose Lake?
- Goose Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 132.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 96.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 11.4 acres.
Is Goose Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Goose 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 Goose Lake?
- Goose Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in October, from 95 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Goose Lake?
- Goose Lake has a maximum depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 11.4 acres.
What fish are in Goose Lake?
- Fish species found in Goose Lake include black bullhead, black crappie. Goose Lake is located in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Goose Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 6, 2022 caught 1.50 black crappie per trap net at Goose Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–5 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Goose Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Goose Lake?
- Public access to Goose 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 Goose Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
98 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA98 samples · 2021–2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 4500 N C ~ Persufate Method for Total Nitrogen
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