Little Kandiyohi Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota1,237 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Kandiyohi Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 30 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Little Kandiyohi Lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 378 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 90.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1237 acres.
Little Kandiyohi Lake is a 1,237-acre lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 30 feet. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including black bullhead, northern pike, and white sucker. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-08-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Little Kandiyohi Lake covers about 1,200 acres in Kandiyohi County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Little Kandiyohi Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Little Kandiyohi Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing3 species recorded
- Big water1,237 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Little Kandiyohi Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Kandiyohi 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 Little Kandiyohi Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Little Kandiyohi 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 1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 378 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 90.2 µg/L. TSI 81.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 378µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 90.2µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 81 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Little Kandiyohi Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Kandiyohi Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fish Stocking History — Little KandiyohiFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Little KandiyohiPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
~30 ft est.
Surface area
1,237 acres
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 Little Kandiyohi Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
37 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
19.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,099 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.
Recreation & Access
- Little Kandiyohi 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 Little Kandiyohi Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Little Kandiyohi Lake in Kandiyohi 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 Little Kandiyohi 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 →
Follow Little Kandiyohi Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Little Kandiyohi Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Little Kandiyohi Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Little Kandiyohi Lake (completed 1941), built primarily for recreation on the Crow River South Fork; gravity-type dam, 10 ft tall and 17 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,237 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,831 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,414 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 29.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00063 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Little Kandiyohi 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 MN34-0096-00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Little Kandiyohi Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- KandiyohiKandiyohi · 4.8 mi away · NPDES MN0023841
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Kandiyohi County
Frequently asked questions about Little Kandiyohi Lake
Where is Little Kandiyohi Lake?
- Little Kandiyohi Lake is a lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Kandiyohi Lake?
- Little Kandiyohi Lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 378 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 90.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1237 acres.
Is Little Kandiyohi Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Little Kandiyohi Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Little Kandiyohi Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Little Kandiyohi Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 30 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 1237 acres.
What fish are in Little Kandiyohi Lake?
- Fish species found in Little Kandiyohi Lake include black bullhead, northern pike, white sucker. Little Kandiyohi Lake is located in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.
Are there boat ramps on Little Kandiyohi Lake?
- Little Kandiyohi Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Little Kandiyohi Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Little Kandiyohi Lake?
- Little Kandiyohi 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.
Explore Little Kandiyohi Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Kandiyohi County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Crow River Watershed, ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Minnesota
State Parks Near Little Kandiyohi Lake
Other Lakes in Minnesota
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA4 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory