Johnson Lake
Becker County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Johnson Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 48 ft max depth
- Public access
Johnson Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.2 µg/L.
Johnson Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Becker County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 48 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 83 other monitored lakes in Becker County, Johnson Lake ranks #33 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Johnson 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 Johnson Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Johnson Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.2 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 19µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.2µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Johnson Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Johnson Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in Sep (about 65°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (65°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 34 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Johnson Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Blackbird (1008)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BlackbirdPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
~48 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Johnson Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
141 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,450 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Johnson Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Johnson Lake in Becker 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.
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Fishing Johnson Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2022–2025).
Water clarity
Stable4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-3 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.87 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Becker County
Frequently asked questions about Johnson Lake
Where is Johnson Lake?
- Johnson Lake is a lake in Becker County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Johnson Lake?
- Johnson Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.2 µg/L.
Is Johnson Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Johnson Lake?
- Johnson Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September, from 34 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Johnson Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Johnson Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 48 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Johnson Lake?
- Public access to Johnson Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.
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Where this data comes from
33 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2022–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA32 samples · 2022–2025 - Minnesota Department of Agriculture - Pesticide Monitoring
MNDA_PESTICIDE1 sample · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity, Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder