Northwood Lake
Hennepin County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Northwood Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
Northwood Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 194 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 74 µg/L.
Northwood Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota. 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 80 other monitored lakes in Hennepin County, Northwood Lake ranks #79 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Northwood Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation 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. Northwood Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Northwood 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 Northwood Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Northwood 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 1.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 194 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 74 µg/L. TSI 75.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 194µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 74µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 75 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Northwood Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Northwood Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 82°F) and coldest in Apr (about 52°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (52°F) to its warmest (82°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 55 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Northwood Lake water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Northwood Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Northwood Lake in Hennepin 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 Northwood Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Northwood Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Northwood Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+8.79 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-5.45 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Northwood Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN27-0627-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hennepin County
Frequently asked questions about Northwood Lake
Where is Northwood Lake?
- Northwood Lake is a lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Northwood Lake?
- Northwood Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 194 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 74 µg/L.
Is Northwood Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Northwood Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Northwood Lake?
- Northwood Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in October, from 55 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Can I fish at Northwood Lake?
- Public access to Northwood 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 Northwood Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
73 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA73 samples · 2022–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Analysis of Chlorophyll in Periphyton and Plankton
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity, Nephelometric Method
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