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LakeQuality

Moody Lake

Chisago County, Minnesota45 acresView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Moody Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
4 ft
Typical for Minnesota
Secchi · sampled 2024
Phosphorus
65 µg/L
More phosphorus than most
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Chlorophyll-a
11 µg/L
Typical for Minnesota
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Water temp
~50°F
Typical for Oct · EPA WQP
Max depth
48 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
45 acres
Surface area
  • Eutrophic
  • Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
  • 48 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Moody Lake in Chisago County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 65 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11 µg/L. Maximum depth: 48 ft. Surface area: 45.33 acres.

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Moody Lake is a 45-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Chisago County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 48 feet (10-foot average). Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 29 other monitored lakes in Chisago County, Moody Lake ranks #24 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Moody Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Deep water48 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Recreation use not supported

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. Moody Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Moody 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.

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Water quality measurements for Moody Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Moody 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 ft. Phosphorus 65 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 11 µg/L. TSI 58.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)4ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus65µg/LPoor
GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)11µg/LFair
GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.58Eutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Ask about Moody Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Water Temperature

Moody Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 56°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 58°F) and coldest in May (about 49°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
54°
Apr
49°
May
55°
Jun
58°
Jul
56°
Aug
55°
Sep
50°
Oct
Nov
Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (49°F) to its warmest (58°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 244 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Moody Lake water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

Max depth

48 ft

Average depth

10 ft

Surface area

45 acres

Shoreline

1 mi

Littoral zone

49%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

No

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Moody Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Moody Lake in Chisago 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Moody Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Moody 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 →

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Fishing Moody Lake

3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.

  • Water clarity

    Worsening

    3 years

  • Phosphorus

    Improving

    -22 µg/L/yr2 years

  • Chlorophyll-a

    Improving

    -9.93 µg/L/yr2 years

EPA Impairment Status

Moody 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)

Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN13-0023-00 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Chisago County

Frequently asked questions about Moody Lake

Where is Moody Lake?

Moody Lake is a lake in Chisago County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Moody Lake?

Moody Lake in Chisago County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 65 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11 µg/L. Maximum depth: 48 ft. Surface area: 45.33 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Moody Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Moody Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

What is the water temperature of Moody Lake?

Moody Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October, from 244 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

Temp on this page ↑

How deep is Moody Lake?

Moody Lake has a maximum depth of 48 feet and an average depth of 10 feet. The lake covers 45.33 acres.

Can I fish at Moody Lake?

Public access to Moody 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.

Eutrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

56 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA56 samples · 2024

Analytical methods

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

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder