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LakeQuality
D

Schwappauf Lake

Hennepin County, MinnesotaEutrophic

Schwappauf Lake pulls a D on the LakeGrade rubric — phosphorus loading and limited clarity hold it below the Minnesota average. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. A maximum depth of 29 ft puts Schwappauf Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. Schwappauf Lake is small — 40 acres alongside 1.1 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Schwappauf Lake sits at rank 52 of 95 in Hennepin County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Schwappauf Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Schwappauf Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-10-03. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Swimming Safety

Swimming not recommended, poor water quality with high algae risk

Water Quality Grade: D, Poor

Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft. Phosphorus level: 65.1 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 60.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)4.4 ftD
Phosphorus65.1 µg/LD
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)60Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth29 ft
Surface Area39.75 acres
Shoreline Length1.1 mi
Littoral Zone73%
Public AccessNo

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #52 of 95 lakes in Hennepin County

Nearby Lakes in Hennepin County

State Parks Near Schwappauf Lake

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1992-08-04 (Standard Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Bluegill9.350.31 lb
Yellow Bass8.520.71 lb
Black Bullhead5.050.88 lb
Black Crappie3.170.27 lb
Pumpkinseed2.930.18 lb
Northern Pike2.881.73 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

From the 1992-08-04 survey

NUMBERS OF FISH CAPTURED WERE LOW DUE TO THE FISH KILL LAST WINTER. NOP WERE THE ONLY FISH CAPTURED IN THE GILLNETS, AND WERE SAMPLED IN NUMBERS NEAR THE STATE AND LOCAL MEDIANS FOR GILLNETS AND TRAPNETS. ONE NOP WAS AGE 0 (TWO FISH OF SIMILAR SIZE WERE GILLED IN TRAPNET LEADS), TWO AGE 3, ONE AGE 4, AND TWO AGE 5.…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Schwappauf Lake. 1 report on file.

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder

Most recent sample: 2023-10-03

Monitoring stations: 1