Shady Lake
Olmsted County, Minnesota144 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Shady Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 13 ft max depth
- Limited data
Shady Lake in Olmsted County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 144.17 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 1987 caught 10.00 white sucker per gill net at Shady Lake. DNR survey details →
Shady Lake is a 144-acre lake in Olmsted County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 13 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2021-10-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Shady 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 Shady Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Shady 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 3.6 ft. TSI 59.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Shady Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 1987 caught 10.00 white sucker per gill net at Shady Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Shady Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1987-07-09 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1987-07-09 (Standard Survey)
39 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 13.38 | 0.28 lb | |
| White Crappie | 11.07 | 0.15 lb | |
| Common Carp | 6.33 | 1.02 lb | |
| Channel Catfish | 5.00 | 0.45 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.
From the 1987-07-09 survey
Largemouth bass, black and white crappie and bluegill are well represented with several year classes present. Growth is poor for the area. The turbid conditions favor white crappie. Most of the gamefish are too small to be acceptable to anglers. Carp, white sucker, silver and shorthead redhorse are abundant. No…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Shady Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ShadyFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
13 ft
Surface area
144 acres
Shoreline
9.2 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
229 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
945 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
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Stays near Shady Lake
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Fishing Shady Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2021). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Shady Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Oronoco WwtpOronoco · 0.2 mi away · NPDES MN0071421Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Olmsted County
Frequently asked questions about Shady Lake
Where is Shady Lake?
- Shady Lake is a lake in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Shady Lake?
- Shady Lake in Olmsted County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 144.17 acres.
Is Shady Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Shady Lake?
- Shady Lake has a maximum depth of 13 feet. The lake covers 144.17 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Shady Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 1987 caught 10.00 white sucker per gill net at Shady Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Shady Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Shady Lake?
- Public access to Shady 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.
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Where this data comes from
21 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA21 samples · 2020–2021
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic 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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder