Washington Lake
Le Sueur County, Minnesota1,516 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Washington Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 51 ft max depth
- Public access
Washington Lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 122 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 51.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 51 ft. Surface area: 1516.11 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 7.33 walleye per gill net at Washington Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Washington Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 40 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Washington Lake is a 1,516-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 51 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 18 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 12 other monitored lakes in Le Sueur County, Washington Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Washington Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing18 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 4
- Deep water51 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,516 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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 Washington 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 Washington Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Washington 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 4.5 ft. Phosphorus 122 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 51.3 µg/L. TSI 66.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 122µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 51.3µg/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. | 66 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Washington Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Washington Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 69°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 72°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 522 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Washington Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 7.33 walleye per gill net at Washington Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Washington 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
19 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-09-23 (Targeted Survey).
19 surveys on file · most recent 2025-09-23 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater Drum | 32.08 | 2–20 in 2025-08-04 | 1.16 lb |
| Bluegill | 13.46 | 5–9 in 2025-08-04 | 0.27 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 12.47 | 9–15 in 2025-08-04 | 1.25 lb |
| Black Crappie | 9.53 | 5–13 in 2025-08-04 | 0.32 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 9.46 | 5–10 in 2025-08-04 | 0.19 lb |
| White Crappie | 7.03 | 10 in 2025-08-04 | 0.34 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.
Freshwater Drum
Bluegill
Yellow Bullhead
Black Crappie
From the 2025-09-23 survey
A survey targeting age-0 Walleyes was conducted at Lake Washington on 23 September 2025 using 61 minutes of standard boat electrofishing. Eight age-0 Walleyes were sampled for a catch rate of 7.8/hour on-time. Age-0 Walleye averaged 7.3 inches and ranged from 6.7 inches to 7.9 inches. The Lake Washington management…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Washington Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WashingtonFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — WashingtonFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WashingtonPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
51 ft
Surface area
1,516 acres
Shoreline
12.1 mi
Littoral zone
52%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
70 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
974 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Washington Lake (West)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Washington Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Washington Lake in Le Sueur 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 Washington Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Washington 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 Washington Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Washington Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+14.75 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.6 µg/L/yr3 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 4
Earliest Mar 1, 2024 · Latest Apr 30, 2018
Typical ice-in
Nov 30
Earliest Nov 1, 1991 · Latest Dec 24, 2017
Most recent ice-out
Mar 15
2025
132 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Le Sueur County
Frequently asked questions about Washington Lake
Where is Washington Lake?
- Washington Lake is a lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Washington Lake?
- Washington Lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 122 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 51.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 51 ft. Surface area: 1516.11 acres.
Is Washington 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 Washington Lake?
- Washington Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October, from 522 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Washington Lake?
- Washington Lake has a maximum depth of 51 feet. The lake covers 1516.11 acres.
What fish are in Washington Lake?
- Fish species found in Washington Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white crappie, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Washington Lake is located in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Washington Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 7.33 walleye per gill net at Washington Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Washington 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 Washington Lake thaw?
- Washington Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 4. Ice typically forms around Nov 30. The open water season is approximately 240 days.
Are there boat ramps on Washington Lake?
- Washington Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Washington Lake (West). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Washington Lake?
- Washington 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 Washington Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Le Sueur County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Minnesota River Watershed, ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Compare Washington Lake With Nearby Lakes
Where this data comes from
899 measurements from 6 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
MNPCA899 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity, Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (6)
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 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