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LakeQuality

Greenwood Lake

Lake County, Minnesota1,329 acresView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Greenwood Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
2.1 ft
Murkier than most
Secchi · sampled 2025
Phosphorus
27.5 µg/L
Typical for Minnesota
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Chlorophyll-a
5.9 µg/L
Typical for Minnesota
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Water temp
~64°F
Typical for Sep · EPA WQP
Max depth
7 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
1,329 acres
Surface area
  • Eutrophic
  • Impaired · Mercury
  • 7 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Greenwood Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 27.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 7 ft. Surface area: 1329.21 acres.

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Free interactive depth-contour map of Greenwood Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 5 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.

Greenwood Lake is a 1,329-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 7 feet. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including bluegill, northern pike, and pumpkinseed. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 34 other monitored lakes in Lake County, Greenwood Lake ranks #30 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Greenwood Lake covers about 1,300 acres in Lake County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Greenwood Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.

What Greenwood Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch1 documented ramp
  • Fishing7 species recorded
  • Big water1,329 acres

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited 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. Greenwood Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Greenwood 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.

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Water quality measurements for Greenwood Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Greenwood 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 2.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 27.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.9 µg/L. TSI 56.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)2.1ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus27.5µg/LFair
GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)5.9µg/LGood
GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.56Eutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Ask about Greenwood Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Water Temperature

Greenwood Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 69°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 73°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
54°
May
65°
Jun
73°
Jul
68°
Aug
64°
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (73°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 17 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Greenwood Lake water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

Max depth

7 ft

Surface area

1,329 acres

Shoreline

11 mi

Littoral zone

100%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

Yes

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

38 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,768 ft

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

Recreation & Access

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Greenwood LakePublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Greenwood Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Greenwood Lake in Lake 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 Greenwood 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 Greenwood Lake

EPA Impairment Status

Greenwood Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN38-0656-00 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Lake County

Frequently asked questions about Greenwood Lake

Where is Greenwood Lake?

Greenwood Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Greenwood Lake?

Greenwood Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 27.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 7 ft. Surface area: 1329.21 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Greenwood Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Greenwood Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

What is the water temperature of Greenwood Lake?

Greenwood Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September, from 17 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

Temp on this page ↑

How deep is Greenwood Lake?

Greenwood Lake has a maximum depth of 7 feet. The lake covers 1329.21 acres.

What fish are in Greenwood Lake?

Fish species found in Greenwood Lake include bluegill, northern pike, pumpkinseed, sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Greenwood Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.

Fish on this page ↑

Are there boat ramps on Greenwood Lake?

Greenwood Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Greenwood Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Access on this page ↑

Can I fish at Greenwood Lake?

Greenwood Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.

Access on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

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

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA22 samples · 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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory