Anoka Lakes
There are 77 named lakes in Anoka County. Thirty-eight of these lakes are considered of notable significance because of recreational use, public access, number of lakeshore residences, or because they are part of a chain of lakes where these factors are heavily considered in management. Others are smaller, more isolated, less developed; some lakes might be better described as open-water wetland rather than lakes. In any case, there are lakes in Anoka County to satisfy anyone from waterskier to waterfowler.
General Lake Characteristics
Generally, all lakes within Anoka County are considered shallow lakes. The average maximum depth of recreational and developed lakes is 16 feet, although East Twin, our deepest waterbody, is 68 feet deep. Shallow lakes can be colonized by aquatic plants over much of their area and do not stratify, (they are well-mixed) for long periods during the summer. On average, 88% percent of each recreational lake is littoral (greater than 15 feet, where aquatic plants grow). This makes some lakes more suitable for open-water recreation than others, and shallow lakes require a different management paradigm. For instance, maintaining a quality shallow lake almost always involves maintaining aquatic plants that some people think of as "weeds."
Recreational and developed lakes, the monority in Anoka, have a median of 158 acres. The biggest of these lakes is Coon Lake, at 1259 acres. The majority of Anoka lakes are smaller and shallower, with a median size of 55 acres.
The Anoka Conservation District teams up with the Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, watershed districts, watershed management organizations, and others to monitor and manage these lakes, as well as to investigate problem conditions.
