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Lake Water Quality Assessment Program

The Lake Water Quality Assessment Program at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) includes an assessment of 3,100 lakes in Minnesota. This assessment was first required by the Federal Water Quality Act of 1987. We elect to update this assessment each year.

Lake water quality assessment information is useful to any one involved in lake management in Minnesota, from lakeshore owners to lake associations. It provides lake water quality criteria, which can improve how we manage our lake resources and how we measure current conditions. It also provides a knowledge base that we can use to protect and restore our lakes.

The lake water quality information provided on this site is highly technical and may be difficult to understand even with definitions of the terms. For those with no prior knowledge of interpreting lake water quality data, we recommend that you first read the publication, "A Citizens' Guide to Lake Protection." Print copies are available from the Freshwater Society at 952-471-9773. The Minnesota Lake Water Quality Assessment Data Report also provides extensive background on this issue.

Photo of Stephanodiscus niagarae, a common diatom in Minnesota lakes. (Photo courtesy of Mark Edlund, Science Museum of Minnesota)

Reports

• Lake Assessment Program Reports by County

Minnesota Lake Water Quality Assessment Reports:

Report Title	Journal Name (if published in a journal)	Date Published
Microcystin Levels in Eutrophic South Central Minnesota Lakes (file size = 1.7 MB) A study of the blue-green algal toxin – Microcystin - based on select lakes in McLeod and Blue Earth Counties Presentation: A study of Microcystin Levels in Eutrophic South Central Minnesota Lakes (as presented to the North American Lake Management Society, October 31, 2007)		2007
Developing Nutrient Criteria (file size = 1.6 MB) Report Abstract As a part of the Clean Water Action Plan of 1997, nutrients were identified as a significant national problem.  One aspect of the U.S. EPA's National Nutrient Strategy recommended that states develop ecoregion-based criteria for total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and Secchi transparency. This report builds on previous MPCA lake water quality assessment reports and provides a detailed description of MPCA’s approach for setting lake nutrient criteria.		2005
Interrelationships Among Water Quality, Lake Morphometry, Rooted Plants and Related Factors for Selected Shallow Lakes of West-Central Minnesota (file size = 3.2 MB)		2005
Shallow Lakes of Southwestern Minnesota: Status and Trend Summary for Selected Lakes - Part of a Series on Minnesota Lake Water Quality Assessment		2003
Water Quality Reconstruction from Fossil Diatoms: Applications for Trend Assessment, Model Verification, and Development of Nutrient Criteria for Lakes in Minnesota, USA		2002
Minnesota Lake Water Quality Assessment Data: 2004 Provides background on assessment, and definition of terms and acronyms.		2004
Lake Prioritization for Protecting Swimmable Use		1997
Lake Sediment Contamination Levels in Minnesota		1996
Establishing a Chlorophyll-a Goal for a Run-of the-River Reservoir	Lake and Reservoir Management	1995
Analysis and Application of Lake User Survey Data	Lake and Reservoir Management	1990
Development of Lake Assessment Methods Based Upon the Aquatic Ecoregion Concept	Lake and Reservoir Management	1989
The Regional Nature of Lake Water Quality Across Minnesota: An Analysis for Improving Resource Management	Journal Of Minnesota Academy of Sciences	1989
Developing Phosphorus Criteria for Minnesota Lakes	Lake and Reservoir Management	1988
Analysis of Regional Patterns in Lake Water Quality: Using Ecoregions for Lake Management in Minnesota	Lake and Reservoir Management	1987