Wakefield Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota22 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Wakefield Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 8 ft max depth
Wakefield Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 53 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 22.46 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 25, 2016 caught 8.00 northern pike per gill net at Wakefield Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–25 inches. DNR survey details →
Wakefield Lake is a 22-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 8 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including black bullhead, bluegill, and northern pike. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Ramsey County, Wakefield Lake ranks #31 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Wakefield Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 28
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. Wakefield Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Wakefield 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 Wakefield Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Wakefield 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 5.9 ft. Phosphorus 53 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.5 µg/L. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 53µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.5µg/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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Wakefield Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Wakefield Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Feb (about 37°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (37°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 260 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Wakefield Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 25, 2016 caught 8.00 northern pike per gill net at Wakefield Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Wakefield 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
4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2016-07-25 (Targeted Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2016-07-25 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 34.77 | 4–8 in 2016-07-25 | 0.15 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 27.20 | 4 in 2016-07-25 | 0.04 lb |
| Bluegill | 17.56 | 3–7 in 2016-07-25 | 0.12 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 9.13 | 3–7 in 2016-07-25 | 0.06 lb |
| Northern Pike | 6.13 | 20–25 in 2016-07-25 | 1.6 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 5.48 | 4–9 in 2016-07-25 | 0.16 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
Golden Shiner
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
From the 2016-07-25 survey
Wakefield Lake is 23 acres in size and has a maximum depth of approximately nine feet. Wakefield lake has been managed as part of the Fishing in the Neighborhood Program (FiN) since 2001 when the first fisheries population assessment was conducted. Prior to this time, fisheries management consisted of fish stocking in…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Wakefield Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WakefieldFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — WakefieldFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
8 ft
Surface area
22 acres
Shoreline
0.8 mi
Littoral zone
96%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Wakefield Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Wakefield 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 Wakefield Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Wakefield 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
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Fishing Wakefield Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.63 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.28 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 28
Earliest Mar 2, 2024 · Latest Apr 28, 2018
Typical ice-in
Dec 1
Earliest Nov 8, 2019 · Latest Dec 8, 2016
Most recent ice-out
Mar 28
2026
19 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Wakefield 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: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN62-0011-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Ramsey County
Frequently asked questions about Wakefield Lake
Where is Wakefield Lake?
- Wakefield 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 Wakefield Lake?
- Wakefield Lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 53 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 22.46 acres.
Is Wakefield Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Wakefield Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Wakefield Lake?
- Wakefield Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October, from 260 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Wakefield Lake?
- Wakefield Lake has a maximum depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 22.46 acres.
What fish are in Wakefield Lake?
- Fish species found in Wakefield Lake include black bullhead, bluegill, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow perch. Wakefield Lake is located in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Wakefield Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 25, 2016 caught 8.00 northern pike per gill net at Wakefield Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–25 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Wakefield 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.
When does Wakefield Lake thaw?
- Wakefield Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 28. Ice typically forms around Dec 1. The open water season is approximately 248 days.
Can I fish at Wakefield Lake?
- Public access to Wakefield 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 Wakefield Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
359 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
MNPCA359 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- Turbidity, Nephelometric Method
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate