Virginia Lake
Carver County, Minnesota105 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Virginia Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 34 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Virginia Lake in Carver County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 104.9 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 1, 2009 caught 0.40 walleye per gill net at Virginia Lake. DNR survey details →
Virginia Lake is a 105-acre lake in Carver County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 34 feet. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Virginia Lake covers about 100 acres in Carver County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 4, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Virginia Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Virginia Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 4
- Deep water34 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Virginia Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Virginia 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 Virginia Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Virginia Lake, 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 6 ft. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6ft | 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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Virginia Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Virginia Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 61°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 63°F) and coldest in Apr (about 45°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (45°F) to its warmest (63°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 651 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Virginia Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 1, 2009 caught 0.40 walleye per gill net at Virginia Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Virginia Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2009-06-01 (Standard Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2009-06-01 (Standard Survey)
17 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 58.41 | 2–7 in 2009-06-01 | 0.15 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 28.11 | 5–11 in 2009-06-01 | 0.42 lb |
| Northern Pike | 8.18 | 13–32 in 2009-06-01 | 2.11 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 4.85 | 6–14 in 2009-06-01 | 0.86 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 4.74 | 5–12 in 2009-06-01 | 0.46 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 4.18 | 5–8 in 2009-06-01 | 0.09 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
Black Bullhead
Northern Pike
Largemouth Bass
From the 2009-06-01 survey
Lake Virginia is a 172 acre class 24 lake that is connected to Smithtown Bay of Lake Minnetonka. Water quality is poor. Dissolved oxygen (DO) was below levels fish could tolerate 16 feet below the surface in June. Anglers should not fish deep water during the summer months. The winter of 2008-2009 saw dissolved oxygen…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Virginia Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — VirginiaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — VirginiaPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
34 ft
Surface area
105 acres
Shoreline
2.9 mi
Littoral zone
29%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
915 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Virginia LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Virginia Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Virginia Lake in Carver 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 Virginia Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Virginia Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Virginia 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: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 4
Earliest Mar 3, 2024 · Latest Apr 30, 2018
Typical ice-in
Nov 29
Earliest Nov 12, 2019 · Latest Jan 4, 2024
Most recent ice-out
Mar 29
2026
81 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Virginia 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: Fish consumption, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN10-0015-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Carver County
Frequently asked questions about Virginia Lake
Where is Virginia Lake?
- Virginia Lake is a lake in Carver County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Virginia Lake?
- Virginia Lake in Carver County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 104.9 acres.
Is Virginia Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Virginia Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Virginia Lake?
- Virginia Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October, from 651 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Virginia Lake?
- Virginia Lake has a maximum depth of 34 feet. The lake covers 104.9 acres.
What fish are in Virginia Lake?
- Fish species found in Virginia Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Virginia Lake is located in Carver County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Virginia Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 1, 2009 caught 0.40 walleye per gill net at Virginia Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Virginia Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Virginia Lake thaw?
- Virginia Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 4. Ice typically forms around Nov 29. The open water season is approximately 239 days.
Are there boat ramps on Virginia Lake?
- Virginia Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Virginia Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Virginia Lake?
- Virginia 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 Virginia Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
83 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA83 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate