Sunset Pond
Dakota County, Minnesota44 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sunset Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 11 ft max depth
- Limited data
Sunset Pond in Dakota County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 48 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 10.5 ft. Surface area: 44.45 acres.
Sunset Pond is a 44-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Dakota County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 11 feet (3-foot average). Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 44 other monitored lakes in Dakota County, Sunset Pond ranks #24 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sunset Pond 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 Sunset Pond
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sunset Pond, 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 4.9 ft. Phosphorus 48 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.2 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 48µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.2µg/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. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Sunset Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sunset Pond typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 81°F) and coldest in Apr (about 52°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (52°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 39 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sunset Pond water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
10.5 ft
Average depth
3 ft
Surface area
44 acres
Shoreline
3.5 mi
Littoral zone
93%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
843 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sunset Pond
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Top-rated places to stay near Sunset Pond
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Fishing Sunset Pond
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sunset Pond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sunset Lake (completed 1983), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Minnesota River-TR; earth-type dam, 21 ft tall and 820 ft long.
- Surface area
- 8 ac
- Normal storage
- 30 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 200 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- City of Burnsville
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN01012 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
4 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Sunset Pond under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Cargill Aghorizons - West Elevator DredgeSavage · 2.4 mi away · NPDES MN0062201Recent violation
- Cargill AghorizonsSavage · 1.9 mi away · NPDES MN0054445
- Kraemer Mining & Materials - BurnsvilleBurnsville · 2.4 mi away · NPDES MN0070432
- Kraemer Mining & Materials - BurnsvilleBurnsville · 2.5 mi away · NPDES MN0002224
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 Dakota County
Frequently asked questions about Sunset Pond
Where is Sunset Pond?
- Sunset Pond 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 Sunset Pond?
- Sunset Pond in Dakota County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 48 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 10.5 ft. Surface area: 44.45 acres.
Is Sunset Pond 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 Sunset Pond?
- Sunset Pond typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October, from 39 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sunset Pond?
- Sunset Pond has a maximum depth of 10.5 feet and an average depth of 3 feet. The lake covers 44.45 acres.
Can I fish at Sunset Pond?
- Public access to Sunset Pond 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 Sunset Pond across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
47 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
MNPCA47 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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder