Vadnais Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota212 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Vadnais Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 9 ft max depth
Vadnais Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 90 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 88.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 9 ft. Surface area: 211.62 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 2001 caught 0.50 northern pike per gill net at Vadnais Lake. DNR survey details →
Vadnais Lake is a 212-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 9 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Ramsey County, Vadnais Lake ranks #44 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Vadnais Lake covers about 210 acres in Ramsey County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Vadnais Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Vadnais Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing9 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Vadnais Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Vadnais 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 Vadnais Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Vadnais 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 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 90 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 88.1 µg/L. TSI 74.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 90µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 88.1µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 74 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Vadnais Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Vadnais Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in May (about 59°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (59°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 35 field readings (2016–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Vadnais Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 2001 caught 0.50 northern pike per gill net at Vadnais Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Vadnais 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
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2001-07-09 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2001-07-09 (Standard Survey)
25 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 72.08 | 4–11 in 2001-07-09 | 0.18 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 18.50 | 0.15 lb | |
| Bluegill | 15.17 | 4–6 in 2001-07-09 | 0.15 lb |
| Common Carp | 14.95 | 30 in 2001-07-09 | 3.73 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 7.92 | 4–10 in 2001-07-09 | 0.27 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 1.42 | 4–6 in 2001-07-09 | 0.15 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
Common Carp
Brown Bullhead
From the 2001-07-09 survey
West Vadnais Lake has been dominated by black bullheads since the survey of 1986. Prior to that brown bullheads were the most commonly caught specie. The fish population of West Vadnais apparently suffers complete or partial winterkill on nearly an annual basis. Game fish sampled were one 19" northern pike, several…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Vadnais Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — West VadnaisFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
9 ft
Surface area
212 acres
Shoreline
2.6 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Vadnais Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Vadnais 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Vadnais Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Vadnais Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Vadnais 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
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.4 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.49 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Vadnais Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN62-0038-02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Ramsey County
Frequently asked questions about Vadnais Lake
Where is Vadnais Lake?
- Vadnais 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 Vadnais Lake?
- Vadnais Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 90 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 88.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 9 ft. Surface area: 211.62 acres.
Is Vadnais Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Vadnais Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Vadnais Lake?
- Vadnais Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September, from 35 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Vadnais Lake?
- Vadnais Lake has a maximum depth of 9 feet. The lake covers 211.62 acres.
What fish are in Vadnais Lake?
- Fish species found in Vadnais Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, pumpkinseed. Vadnais Lake is located in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Vadnais Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 2001 caught 0.50 northern pike per gill net at Vadnais Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Vadnais 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 Vadnais Lake?
- Public access to Vadnais 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 Vadnais Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Ramsey County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
133 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
MNPCA133 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder