Twin Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota32 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Twin Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 33 ft max depth
Twin Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 35 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 33 ft. Surface area: 32.43 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 1996 caught 5.00 northern pike per gill net at Twin Lake. DNR survey details →
Twin Lake is a 32-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 33 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and green sunfish. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Ramsey County, Twin Lake ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Twin Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing8 species recorded
- Deep water33 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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 Twin 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 Twin Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Twin 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 7.5 ft. Phosphorus 35 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.3 µg/L. TSI 52.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 35µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.3µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 52 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Twin Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Twin Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 56°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 59°F) and coldest in Mar (about 41°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (41°F) to its warmest (59°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 893 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Twin Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 1996 caught 5.00 northern pike per gill net at Twin Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Twin Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1996-07-24 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 1996-07-24 (Standard Survey)
30 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 21.58 | 0.32 lb | |
| Bluegill | 13.96 | 2–6 in 1996-07-24 | 0.11 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 11.22 | 5–7 in 1996-07-24 | 0.1 lb |
| Black Crappie | 5.57 | 4–8 in 1996-07-24 | 0.17 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 5.41 | 3–6 in 1996-07-24 | 0.08 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 3.89 | 4–5 in 1996-07-24 | 0.08 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.
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
Black Crappie
Pumpkinseed
From the 1996-07-24 survey
Twin Lake does not appear to have winterkilled sevrely in the past five or more years. Thus, populations of several species offer angling opportunities to lake residents. However, there is no public access. Bluegill were the most abundant specices sample, but are small with an average size of 4.5 inches and fewer than…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Twin Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — TwinFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
33 ft
Surface area
32 acres
Shoreline
1 mi
Littoral zone
48%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Twin Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Twin Lake in Ramsey 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 Twin Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Twin Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+3.21 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+3.13 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Ramsey County
Frequently asked questions about Twin Lake
Where is Twin Lake?
- Twin Lake is a lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Twin Lake?
- Twin Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 35 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 33 ft. Surface area: 32.43 acres.
Is Twin 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 Twin Lake?
- Twin Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in October, from 893 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Twin Lake?
- Twin Lake has a maximum depth of 33 feet. The lake covers 32.43 acres.
What fish are in Twin Lake?
- Fish species found in Twin Lake include black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow perch. Twin Lake is located in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Twin Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 1996 caught 5.00 northern pike per gill net at Twin Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Twin Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Twin Lake?
- Public access to Twin 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 Twin Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
628 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA628 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
- Turbidity, Nephelometric 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
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder