Taft Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota14 acresView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Minnesota PCA for this lake.
- Impaired · Salinity / chlorides
- 45 ft max depth
- Limited data
Taft Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 13.55 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2017 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Taft Lake. DNR survey details →
Taft Lake is a 14-acre lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 45 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2021-05-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Taft Lake covers about 14 acres in Hennepin County. The median ice-out date is April 1, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Taft Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Taft Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 1
- Deep water45 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Taft Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Taft 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 Taft Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Taft Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data.
Ask about Taft Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Taft Lake typically sits around 62°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 76°F) and coldest in Jan (about 38°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (38°F) to its warmest (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 135 field readings (2010–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Taft Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2017 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Taft Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Taft Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2017-08-07 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2017-08-07 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 37.66 | 5–7 in 2017-08-07 | 0.14 lb |
| Bluegill | 15.31 | 3–7 in 2017-08-07 | 0.09 lb |
| Black Crappie | 12.59 | 4–11 in 2017-08-07 | 0.19 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 7.95 | 5 in 2017-08-07 | 0.08 lb |
| White Crappie | 4.81 | 7 in 2017-08-07 | 0.2 lb |
| Common Carp | 3.67 | 21 in 2017-08-07 | 2.01 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.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Black Bullhead
Bluegill
Black Crappie
Yellow Perch
From the 2017-08-07 survey
Taft Lake is a 12.4-acre lake located in the City of Richfield. This pond has been managed as a Fishing in the Neighborhood (FiN) pond since 2002 and is regularly stocked with Bluegill and Yellow Perch. In 2016, the City of Richfield in collaboration with FiN, installed several updates to improve fishing access at…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Taft Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — TaftFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — TaftFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
45 ft
Surface area
14 acres
Shoreline
0.7 mi
Littoral zone
32%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Taft Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Taft 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 Taft Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Taft Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.89 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.67 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 1
Earliest Mar 2, 2024 · Latest Apr 27, 2018
Most recent ice-out
Mar 2
2024
4 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Taft 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: Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN27-0683-00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
4 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Taft Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Taft Lake Flocculation Treatment FacilityRichfield · 0.2 mi away · NPDES MN0070173Recent violation
- Delta Air Lines IncMinneapolis · 2.1 mi away · NPDES MN0054194Recent violation
- Metropolitan Airports CommissionWoodland · 0.6 mi away · NPDES MN0002101
- Mpls/St Paul Airport GwpMinneapolis · 0.8 mi away · NPDES MN0065404
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 Hennepin County
Frequently asked questions about Taft Lake
Where is Taft Lake?
- Taft 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 Taft Lake?
- Taft Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 13.55 acres.
Is Taft Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Taft Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Taft Lake?
- Taft Lake typically sits around 62°F at the surface in September, from 135 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Taft Lake?
- Taft Lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet. The lake covers 13.55 acres.
What fish are in Taft Lake?
- Fish species found in Taft Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, green sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, tiger muskellunge, walleye, white crappie, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Taft Lake is located in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Taft Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2017 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Taft Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Taft Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Taft Lake thaw?
- Taft Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 1.
Can I fish at Taft Lake?
- Public access to Taft 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 Taft Lake across LakeQuality
2.4 mi away · 53 ft
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA4 samples · 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate