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LakeQuality

Holland Lake

A
Grade A — Excellent
Excellent · #3 of 45 lakes in the county · 27.9 ft clear · Oligotrophic · 38 acres
Oligotrophic

Holland Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 27.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 55 ft. Surface area: 37.71 acres.

Clarity
27.9 ft
Typical in August
60°F
Max depth
55 ft
Area
38 acres
Type
Oligotrophic
Trend
Declining
Public access
No

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AO'Brien Lake18 ft clear · Dakota CountyView →
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Holland Lake is a 38-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Dakota County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 55 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 6 documented fish species including bluegill, hybrid sunfish, and largemouth bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 44 other monitored lakes in Dakota County, Holland Lake ranks #3 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-05. 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 Holland Lake

Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)

Crystal clear, you can see 27.9 ft down. Phosphorus level: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a: 3.5 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 38.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)27.9 ftNot graded
Phosphorus14 µg/LGood
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)3.5 µg/LGood
Trophic State Index (TSI)38Oligotrophic

Low nutrients, clear water, excellent for swimming

Where to stay near Holland Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Holland 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.

Top-rated places to stay near Holland Lake

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 →

Water Temperature

Holland Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 80°F) and coldest in Feb (about 39°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
39°
Mar
Apr
43°
May
66°
Jun
75°
Jul
80°
Aug
60°
Sep
73°
Oct
Nov
43°
Dec

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 97 field readings (20102024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Holland Lake water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth55 ft
Surface Area38 acres
Shoreline Length1.3 mi
Littoral Zone60%
Public AccessNo

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
12 sq mi
Elevation
863 ft

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

Fish Species

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

Fishing Holland 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 watermilfoil

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-07-25 (Standard Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Black Bullhead15.810.37 lb
Bluegill10.840.1 lb
Northern Pike3.462.39 lb
Hybrid Sunfish2.990.09 lb
GOS2.750.13 lb
Pumpkinseed2.600.07 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.

Black Bullhead

3 fish · 612 in · 2007-07-25
106789101112

Bluegill

38 fish · 35 in · 2024-07-25
31160345

Northern Pike

12 fish · 1530 in · 2024-07-25
2101618202224262830

Hybrid Sunfish

16 fish · 35 in · 2024-07-25
840345

From the 2024-07-25 survey

Holland Lake is a mesotrophic, class 33 basin with an area of 32.5 acres (22.5 littoral acres) and maximum depth of over 55 feet. The lake is currently managed by the Fishing in the Neighborhood (FiN) program. Holland is located entirely within Lebanon Hills County Park in the City of Eagan. There is a fishing pier at…

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 Holland Lake. 2 reports 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-0.305 m/yr6
Phosphorus Stable+0.31 µg/L/yr6
Chlorophyll-a Declining+0.58 µg/L/yr6
See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

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

Causes of impairment

Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN19-0066-00 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1.9 km)

County Ranking

Ranked #3 of 45 lakes in Dakota County

Nearby Lakes in Dakota County

Frequently asked questions about Holland Lake

What is the water quality grade for Holland Lake?

Holland Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 27.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 55 ft. Surface area: 37.71 acres.

Is Holland Lake safe to swim in?

Excellent for swimming, crystal clear water with minimal algae. Holland Lake has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Algae concentration (chlorophyll-a) is 3.5 µg/L. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

What is the water temperature of Holland Lake?

Holland Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in August, from 97 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Holland Lake?

Holland Lake has a maximum depth of 55 feet. The lake covers 37.71 acres.

What fish are in Holland Lake?

Fish species found in Holland Lake include bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker. Holland Lake is located in Dakota County, Minnesota.

Where this data comes from

148 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 WaterMNPCA148 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
  • Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • Analysis of Chlorophyll in Periphyton and Plankton
  • 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