What lakes are in the Minnesota River Watershed?

166 monitored lakes drain through the Minnesota River Watershed, including Brickyard Lake, Courthouse Lake, Holland Lake, and others. The watershed spans Minnesota.

What is the cleanest lake in the Minnesota River Watershed?

Brickyard Lake in Carver County is the highest-rated lake in the Minnesota River Watershed with a Grade A.

What is a HUC8 watershed?

HUC8 (Hydrologic Unit Code, 8-digit) is the USGS classification for "subbasins" — the level at which major named river systems are usually identified. The Minnesota River Watershed corresponds to HUC8 07020012.

Minnesota River Watershed

Minnesota · 166 monitored lakes · 9 grade A · 20 grade B · HUC8 07020012

The Minnesota River basin draining southern Minnesota — agricultural country with high phosphorus loading and a classic test case for nutrient-driven lake degradation.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated Jul 20, 2026

Counties in this watershed

Big Stone, Lac qui Parle, Yellow Medicine, Renville, Redwood, Brown, Nicollet, Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Sibley, Scott, Carver, Dakota

Monitored Lakes (166)

#	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Area	Depth
1	Brickyard Lake	Carver	A	15 ft	14 acres	43 ft
2	Courthouse Lake	Carver	A	18.9 ft	12 acres	57 ft
3	Holland Lake	Dakota	A	27.9 ft	38 acres	55 ft
4	Krenz Lake	Scott	A	16.2 ft	-	-
5	Minnewashta Lake	Carver	A	11.5 ft	680 acres	70 ft
6	Lac Lavon Lake	Dakota	A	12.1 ft	66 acres	32 ft
7	O'Brien Lake	Dakota	A	18 ft	-	-
8	Fish Lake	Le Sueur	A	11.8 ft	77 acres	55 ft
9	Piersons Lake	Carver	A	9.9 ft	267 acres	40 ft
10	Unnamed Lake	Blue Earth	B	-	-	-
11	Marion Lake	Dakota	B	7 ft	530 acres	21 ft
12	Lower Prior Lake	Scott	B	10 ft	956 acres	60 ft
13	Fireman'S Lake	Carver	B	10.7 ft	9 acres	23 ft
14	Sunfish Lake	Dakota	B	9.7 ft	-	-
15	Roemhildts Lake	Le Sueur	B	10.2 ft	74 acres	60 ft
16	Stone Lake	Carver	B	10.5 ft	101 acres	30 ft
17	Deans Lake	Scott	B	-	-	-
18	Horseshoe Lake	Dakota	B	6.7 ft	-	-
19	Lemay Lake	Dakota	B	6.9 ft	36 acres	15.5 ft
20	Schultz Lake	Dakota	B	8.5 ft	-	-
21	Rogers Lake	Dakota	B	6.6 ft	102 acres	8 ft
22	St. Joe Lake	Carver	B	8.4 ft	20 acres	52 ft
23	Cate'S Lake	Scott	B	5.6 ft	-	-
24	Blackhawk Lake	Dakota	B	7.5 ft	40 acres	12 ft
25	Unnamed Lake	Nicollet	B	5.6 ft	12 acres	35 ft
26	Ann Lake	Carver	B	8.7 ft	116 acres	45 ft
27	Zumbra-Sunny Lake	Carver	B	9.8 ft	271 acres	58 ft
28	Carlson Lake	Dakota	B	7.5 ft	12 acres	19 ft
29	Central Mystic Lake	Scott	B	-	-	-
30	Crystal Lake	Dakota	C	7 ft	293 acres	37 ft
31	O'Dowd Lake	Scott	C	5.5 ft	301 acres	22 ft
32	Hornbean Lake	Dakota	C	7.2 ft	-	-
33	Fish Lake	Dakota	C	7.2 ft	31 acres	33.5 ft
34	Unnamed Lake	Dakota	C	6 ft	-	-
35	Thomas Lake	Dakota	C	5.6 ft	41 acres	8 ft
36	Crystal Lake	Scott	C	6.8 ft	31 acres	26 ft
37	Mcdonough Lake	Dakota	C	4.5 ft	18 acres	13 ft
38	Waconia Lake	Carver	C	7.3 ft	3,080 acres	37 ft
39	East Thomas Lake	Dakota	C	5.6 ft	12 acres	19 ft
40	Frances Lake	Le Sueur	C	6 ft	927 acres	60 ft
41	Jensen Lake	Dakota	C	4.6 ft	-	-
42	Mccoll Pond	Scott	C	8 ft	23 acres	11 ft
43	Sunset Pond	Dakota	C	4.9 ft	44 acres	10.5 ft
44	Orchard Lake	Dakota	C	5.9 ft	238 acres	33 ft
45	Lee Lake	Dakota	C	4.8 ft	21 acres	14 ft
46	Keller Lake	Dakota	C	4.1 ft	55 acres	7 ft
47	Schmitt Lake	Dakota	C	3.6 ft	-	-
48	Earley Lake	Dakota	C	5.9 ft	-	-
49	East Auburn Lake	Carver	C	5 ft	-	-
50	Auburn Lake	Carver	C	6.4 ft	291 acres	84 ft
51	Pitts Lake	Dakota	C	4.9 ft	-	-
52	Volney Lake	Le Sueur	C	5.5 ft	269 acres	67 ft
53	Oak Lake	Carver	C	4.5 ft	333 acres	11 ft
54	Bavaria Lake	Carver	C	5.1 ft	166 acres	66 ft
55	Wellner-Hageman Reservoir	Brown	C	3.7 ft	75 acres	24 ft
56	Steiger Lake	Carver	C	5 ft	166 acres	37 ft
57	Upper Prior Lake	Scott	C	5 ft	386 acres	50 ft
58	Burandt Lake	Carver	C	3.9 ft	97 acres	24 ft
59	Bald Lake	Dakota	C	5.6 ft	-	-
60	Oak Leaf Lake	Nicollet	C	3.9 ft	-	-
61	Fish Lake	Scott	D	3.9 ft	176 acres	28 ft
62	Rays Lake	Le Sueur	D	3.5 ft	169 acres	32 ft
63	Unnamed Lake	Big Stone	D	6.9 ft	-	-
64	Unnamed Lake	Scott	D	2.9 ft	-	-
65	Curtis Lake	Yellow Medicine	D	4 ft	382 acres	8 ft
66	Virginia Lake	Carver	D	6 ft	105 acres	34 ft
67	Pickerel Lake	Dakota	D	3.5 ft	114 acres	11 ft
68	Del Clark Lake	Yellow Medicine	D	5 ft	156 acres	30 ft
69	Mill Pond	Scott	D	4.5 ft	18 acres	18 ft
70	Sleepy Eye Lake	Brown	D	3.3 ft	241 acres	21 ft
71	Tyson Lake	Yellow Medicine	D	4.5 ft	166 acres	8 ft
72	Lotus Lake	Carver	D	5.7 ft	245 acres	29 ft
73	Spring Lake	Scott	D	6.2 ft	592 acres	37 ft
74	Lake Jefferson	Le Sueur	D	4 ft	685 acres	37 ft
75	Reitz Lake	Carver	D	3 ft	92 acres	36 ft
76	German Lake	Le Sueur	D	3.5 ft	889 acres	51 ft
77	Wassermann West Lake	Carver	D	5.2 ft	-	-
78	Madison Lake	Blue Earth	D	4 ft	1,447 acres	59 ft
79	Bur Oaks Pond	Dakota	D	4.6 ft	10 acres	9 ft
80	Cup Lake	Big Stone	D	5.1 ft	-	-
81	Myers Lake	Carver	D	3 ft	-	-
82	Gun Club Lake	Dakota	D	3.5 ft	103 acres	9.5 ft
83	Cobblestone Lake	Dakota	D	3.9 ft	35 acres	18 ft
84	Blue Lake	Scott	D	1.9 ft	70 acres	50 ft
85	Thompson Lake	Dakota	D	3.3 ft	8 acres	8 ft
86	Gerhardt Lake	Dakota	D	2 ft	-	-
87	Buck Lake	Scott	D	2.6 ft	-	-
88	Lucy Lake	Carver	D	3.9 ft	88 acres	20 ft
89	Susan Lake	Carver	D	2.6 ft	88 acres	17 ft
90	Alimagnet Lake	Dakota	D	5 ft	104 acres	11.5 ft
91	Washington Lake	Le Sueur	D	4.5 ft	1,516 acres	51 ft
92	Ballantyne Lake	Blue Earth	D	2.5 ft	371 acres	58 ft
93	Emily Lake	Le Sueur	D	2 ft	300 acres	37 ft
94	Wassermann Lake	Carver	D	2.3 ft	-	-
95	Jefferson Lake	Le Sueur	D	2 ft	700 acres	-
96	Big Stone Lake	Big Stone	D	3.9 ft	-	-
97	Preston Lake	Renville	D	5 ft	655 acres	11 ft
98	Scotch Lake	Le Sueur	D	4.1 ft	598 acres	11 ft
99	Hilltop Pd Lake	Dakota	D	3.6 ft	40 acres	12 ft
100	Wassermann Main Lake	Carver	D	3 ft	170 acres	41 ft