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LakeQuality

Rose Lake

Washington County, Minnesota75 acresView mapDirections

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

Clarity
1.8 ft
Murkier than most
Secchi · sampled 2024
Phosphorus
132.5 µg/L
More phosphorus than most
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Chlorophyll-a
74.5 µg/L
More algae than most
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Water temp
~58°F
Typical for Oct · EPA WQP
Max depth
11.3 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
75 acres
Surface area
  • Hypereutrophic
  • Eurasian watermilfoil
  • 11 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Rose Lake in Washington County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 132.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 74.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 11.3 ft. Surface area: 75.37 acres.

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Rose Lake is a 75-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Washington County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 11 feet. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 74 other monitored lakes in Washington County, Rose Lake ranks #70 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Rose Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Fishing8 species recorded

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited data

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 Rose 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 Rose Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Rose 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 1.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 132.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 74.5 µg/L. TSI 72.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)1.8ftMeasured, not scored

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

Total phosphorus133µg/LPoor
GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)74.5µg/LPoor
GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.72Hypereutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Ask about Rose Lake

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

Water Temperature

Rose Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 75°F) and coldest in Apr (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
53°
Apr
70°
May
66°
Jun
73°
Jul
75°
Aug
66°
Sep
58°
Oct
Nov
Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (53°F) to its warmest (75°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 26 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.

Lake Details

Max depth

11.3 ft

Surface area

75 acres

Shoreline

2.9 mi

Littoral zone

100%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

No

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Rose Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Rose Lake in Washington 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 Rose Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Rose 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.

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Fish Species

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Rose 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.

Eurasian watermilfoil

Nearby Lakes in Washington County

Frequently asked questions about Rose Lake

Where is Rose Lake?

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

What is the water quality of Rose Lake?

Rose Lake in Washington County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 132.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 74.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 11.3 ft. Surface area: 75.37 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Rose Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

What is the water temperature of Rose Lake?

Rose Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October, from 26 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 Rose Lake?

Rose Lake has a maximum depth of 11.3 feet. The lake covers 75.37 acres.

What fish are in Rose Lake?

Fish species found in Rose Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, white sucker, yellow bullhead. Rose Lake is located in Washington County, Minnesota.

Fish on this page ↑

Can I fish at Rose Lake?

Public access to Rose 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.

Hypereutrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

56 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 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 (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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder