Sunfish Lake
Dakota County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sunfish Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 23 ft max depth
Sunfish Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L.
Sunfish Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Dakota County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 23 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 44 other monitored lakes in Dakota County, Sunfish Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Sunfish Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 4
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Sunfish 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 Sunfish Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sunfish Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.7 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.6 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.6µg/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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Sunfish Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sunfish Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 81°F) and coldest in Feb (about 39°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (39°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 76 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sunfish Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~23 ft est.
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 Sunfish Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
37 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
938 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 Sunfish Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sunfish Lake in Dakota 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 Sunfish Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Sunfish Lake’s readings
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Fishing Sunfish Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.75 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.7 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 4
Earliest Mar 7, 2024 · Latest May 11, 2018
Typical ice-in
Nov 29
Earliest Nov 15, 2014 · Latest Dec 19, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Mar 7
2024
24 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Dakota County
Frequently asked questions about Sunfish Lake
Where is Sunfish Lake?
- Sunfish Lake is a lake in Dakota County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sunfish Lake?
- Sunfish Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L.
Is Sunfish Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Sunfish Lake?
- Sunfish Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in October, from 76 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sunfish Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Sunfish 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.
When does Sunfish Lake thaw?
- Sunfish Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 4. Ice typically forms around Nov 29. The open water season is approximately 239 days.
Can I fish at Sunfish Lake?
- Public access to Sunfish 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.
Explore Sunfish Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
84 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA84 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate