Mcdonough Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota18 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Mcdonough Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 13 ft max depth
Mcdonough Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 18.08 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 2.50 bluegill per trap net at Mcdonough Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–8 inches. DNR survey details →
Mcdonough Lake is a 18-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Dakota County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 13 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including black bullhead, bluegill, and green sunfish. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 44 other monitored lakes in Dakota County, Mcdonough Lake ranks #16 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Mcdonough Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing4 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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 Mcdonough 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 Mcdonough Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Mcdonough Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.7 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7.7µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Mcdonough Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Mcdonough Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in May (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 (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 33 field readings (2017–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Mcdonough Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 2.50 bluegill per trap net at Mcdonough Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–8 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mcdonough Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2015-07-27 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 2015-07-27 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 2.50 | 3–8 in 2015-07-27 | 0.1 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 1.75 | 2–4 in 2015-07-27 | 0.04 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 1.75 | 7–9 in 2015-07-27 | 0.32 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 0.25 | 6 in 2015-07-27 | 0.19 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
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.
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
Black Bullhead
Green Sunfish
From the 2015-07-27 survey
McDonough Lake is a shallow marshy 15-acre lake located in the City of Eagan. The lake has a walking trail and fishing pier and is located entirely within the bounds of the Lebanon Hills Park, which is managed by Dakota County Parks and Recreation Department. McDonough Lake has been managed by the Fishing in the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mcdonough Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — McDonoughFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
13 ft
Surface area
18 acres
Shoreline
0.8 mi
Littoral zone
83%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Mcdonough 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.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.09 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.21 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Dakota County
Frequently asked questions about Mcdonough Lake
Where is Mcdonough Lake?
- Mcdonough Lake is a lake in Dakota County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Mcdonough Lake?
- Mcdonough Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 18.08 acres.
Is Mcdonough 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 Mcdonough Lake?
- Mcdonough Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September, from 33 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Mcdonough Lake?
- Mcdonough Lake has a maximum depth of 13 feet. The lake covers 18.08 acres.
What fish are in Mcdonough Lake?
- Fish species found in Mcdonough Lake include black bullhead, bluegill, green sunfish, pumpkinseed. Mcdonough Lake is located in Dakota County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Mcdonough Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 2.50 bluegill per trap net at Mcdonough Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–8 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mcdonough Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Mcdonough Lake?
- Public access to Mcdonough Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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 Mcdonough Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
145 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 Water
MNPCA145 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)
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder