Unnamed Lake
Benton County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Unnamed Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- zebra mussel
- 21 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Unnamed Lake in Benton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility.
Unnamed Lake is a lake in Benton County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 21 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Unnamed Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Unnamed 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 Unnamed Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Unnamed Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility. TSI 71.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 71 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Unnamed Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Unnamed Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in Oct (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 (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 41 field readings (2016–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Unnamed Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~21 ft est.
Public access
Yes
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 Unnamed Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
119 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
82 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,010 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.
Recreation & Access
- Highway 10 BridgePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Unnamed Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Unnamed Lake in Benton 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 Unnamed Lake
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Fishing Unnamed 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
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Stable+2.93 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+24.12 µg/L/yr6 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Unnamed Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Benton Utilities WwtpRice · 1 mi away · NPDES MN0065391Recent violation
- Lake Andrew WwtpRice · 2.3 mi away · NPDES MN0067733Recent violation
- The Cove Utility AssociationSauk Rapids · 2.4 mi away · NPDES MN0066109Recent violation
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 Benton County
Frequently asked questions about Unnamed Lake
Where is Unnamed Lake?
- Unnamed Lake is a lake in Benton County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Unnamed Lake?
- Unnamed Lake in Benton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility.
Is Unnamed 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 Unnamed Lake?
- Unnamed Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in October, from 41 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Unnamed Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Unnamed Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 21 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Unnamed Lake?
- Unnamed Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Highway 10 Bridge. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Unnamed Lake?
- Unnamed Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Unnamed Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
47 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
MNPCA47 samples · 2020–2024
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory