Smetana Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota52 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Smetana Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 12 ft max depth
- Limited data
Smetana Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 34 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 12 ft. Surface area: 52.23 acres.
Smetana Lake is a 52-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 12 feet (5-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 80 other monitored lakes in Hennepin County, Smetana Lake ranks #24 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Smetana Lake covers about 52 acres in Hennepin County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Smetana Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Smetana Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing13 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited 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. Smetana Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Smetana 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 Smetana Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Smetana 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 6.6 ft. Phosphorus 34 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.9 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 34µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.9µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Smetana Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
12 ft
Average depth
5 ft
Surface area
52 acres
Shoreline
1.6 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
823 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Smetana Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Smetana 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Smetana Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Smetana 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.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.78 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.02 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Smetana Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN27-0073-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hennepin County
Frequently asked questions about Smetana Lake
Where is Smetana Lake?
- Smetana 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 Smetana Lake?
- Smetana Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 34 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 12 ft. Surface area: 52.23 acres.
Is Smetana Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Smetana Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Smetana Lake?
- Smetana Lake has a maximum depth of 12 feet and an average depth of 5 feet. The lake covers 52.23 acres.
What fish are in Smetana Lake?
- Fish species found in Smetana Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Smetana Lake is located in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Can I fish at Smetana Lake?
- Public access to Smetana 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
24 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA24 samples · 2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Analysis of Chlorophyll in Periphyton and Plankton
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