Grace Lake
Carver County, Minnesota20 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Grace Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 22 ft max depth
Grace Lake in Carver County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 91.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 58.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 22 ft. Surface area: 20.18 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 4, 1998 caught 1.00 northern pike per gill net at Grace Lake. DNR survey details →
Grace Lake is a 20-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Carver County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 22 feet (12-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 37 other monitored lakes in Carver County, Grace Lake ranks #22 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Grace Lake covers about 20 acres in Carver County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Grace Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Grace Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing11 species recorded
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. Grace Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Grace 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 Grace Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Grace 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 2.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 91.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 58.2 µg/L. TSI 68.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 91.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 58.2µg/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. | 68 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Grace Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Grace Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Mar (about 37°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (37°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 431 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Grace Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 4, 1998 caught 1.00 northern pike per gill net at Grace Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Grace Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1998-06-04 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1998-06-04 (Standard Survey)
28 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 103.09 | 6–12 in 1998-06-04 | 0.18 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 14.67 | 3–6 in 1998-06-04 | 0.09 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 12.50 | 3–6 in 1998-06-04 | 0.09 lb |
| Bluegill | 11.00 | 1–7 in 1998-06-04 | 0.14 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 5.00 | 3–5 in 1998-06-04 | 0.07 lb |
| Black Crappie | 4.25 | 6–9 in 1998-06-04 | 0.21 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
Hybrid Sunfish
Pumpkinseed
Bluegill
From the 1998-06-04 survey
Black bullheads are the most abundant species in Grace Lake, but they average only 7.5 inches in length. Both bluegills and black crappies were found to be rather abundant. Each species were sampled within the normal range when compared to similar lakes. The average size of the bluegills and black crappies sampled was…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Grace Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — UnnamedFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
22 ft
Average depth
11.5 ft
Surface area
20 acres
Shoreline
1 mi
Littoral zone
99%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Grace Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Grace Lake in Carver 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 Grace Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Grace 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 Grace 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.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+6.36 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+4.63 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Grace Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Grace (completed 1968), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the East Creek; earth-type dam, 40 ft tall and 100 ft long.
- Surface area
- 19 ac
- Normal storage
- 200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 900 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6.9 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- City of Chaska
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00808 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Grace 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 MN10-0218-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Carver County
Frequently asked questions about Grace Lake
Where is Grace Lake?
- Grace Lake is a lake in Carver County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Grace Lake?
- Grace Lake in Carver County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 91.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 58.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 22 ft. Surface area: 20.18 acres.
Is Grace Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Grace 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 Grace Lake?
- Grace Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October, from 431 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Grace Lake?
- Grace Lake has a maximum depth of 22 feet and an average depth of 11.5 feet. The lake covers 20.18 acres.
What fish are in Grace Lake?
- Fish species found in Grace Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, yellow perch. Grace Lake is located in Carver County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Grace Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 4, 1998 caught 1.00 northern pike per gill net at Grace Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Grace Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Grace Lake?
- Public access to Grace 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 Grace Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
204 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 Water
MNPCA204 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder