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LakeQuality
F

Indianhead Lake

Hennepin County, MinnesotaHypereutrophic

Indianhead Lake earns an F: 110 µg/L of phosphorus and clarity at 1.6 ft signal heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

A TSI above 70 puts Indianhead Lake in hypereutrophic territory: visible blooms are common, and clarity rarely climbs even in early summer. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. The lake's surface area is not consistently recorded across state datasets — physical context remains partial. Indianhead Lake ranks 84 of 95 in Hennepin County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Indianhead Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Indianhead Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-09. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Swimming Safety

Avoid swimming, very poor water quality, potential algae toxins

Water Quality Grade: F, Very Poor

Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus level: 110 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 71.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)1.6 ftF
Phosphorus110 µg/LF
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)71Hypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (5 observations).

Typical Ice-Out
Mar 31
EarliestLatest
Ice-Out2012-03-19 (2012)2008-04-18 (2008)
Ice-In2007-11-25 (2007)2012-11-25 (2012)

Most recent ice-out: 2012-03-19

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #84 of 95 lakes in Hennepin County

Nearby Lakes in Hennepin County

Hypereutrophic Lakes in Minnesota

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Indianhead Lake. 1 report on file.

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate

Most recent sample: 2020-09-09

Monitoring stations: 1