Shakopee Lake
Chippewa County, Minnesota261 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Shakopee Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 23 ft max depth
- Limited data
Shakopee Lake in Chippewa County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 376.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 106.5 µg/L. Surface area: 261 acres.
Shakopee Lake is a 261-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Chippewa County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 23 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 2025-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Shakopee Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Shakopee 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 Shakopee Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Shakopee 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 376.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 106.5 µg/L. TSI 79.
| 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 | 377µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 107µg/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. | 79 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Shakopee Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Shakopee Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 58°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (58°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 44 field readings (2019–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Shakopee Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~23 ft est.
Surface area
261 acres
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Shakopee Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
233 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,017 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Shakopee Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Shakopee Lake in Chippewa 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 Shakopee Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Shakopee Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Shakopee Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-125 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+7 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Shakopee Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Shakopee Lake (completed 1976), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Shakopee Creek; earth-type dam, 18 ft tall and 700 ft long.
- Surface area
- 261 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,401 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,401 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 202 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- County of Swift
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00888 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Shakopee 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 MN12-0030-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Chippewa County
Frequently asked questions about Shakopee Lake
Where is Shakopee Lake?
- Shakopee Lake is a lake in Chippewa County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Shakopee Lake?
- Shakopee Lake in Chippewa County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 376.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 106.5 µg/L. Surface area: 261 acres.
Is Shakopee Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Shakopee 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 Shakopee Lake?
- Shakopee Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in September, from 44 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2019–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Shakopee Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Shakopee Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 23 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 261 acres.
Can I fish at Shakopee Lake?
- Public access to Shakopee 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
44 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA44 samples · 2021–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder