Shady Oak Lake - Nine Mile Creek Watershed District

Minnetonka

ABOUT SHADY OAK LAKE

Shady Oak Lake, east of Interstate 494 in Minnetonka, is a clear, spring fed, shallow lake that is popular for swimming and recreation.

Street view map of shady oak lake — Shady Oak Lake, Minnetonka

Water Quality

Graph of phosphorus levels in Shady Oak Lake — Phosphorus levels in Shady Oak Lake are consistently better than the state standard.

Water quality in Shady Oak Lake is excellent—monitoring parameters meet state standards. Shady Oak Lake has a small watershed area. This limits the amount of storm water runoff the lake receives, preventing the lake from receiving too many nutrients. Aquatic plant information shows that the lake has a healthy plant community that also meets state standards. Aquatic invasive species Eurasian watermilfoil and purple loosestrife are present, but are not over-taking the native populations.

Graph of Secchi Depth in Shady Oak Lake — Water clarity in Shady Oak Lake is consistently better than the state standard.

Graph of Chlorophyll-a levels in Shady Oak Lake — Chlorophyll-a levels in Shady Oak Lake are consistently better than the state standard.

Printable Shady Oak Lake Fact Sheet

Projects

Currently, the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District does not have projects planned for Shady Oak Lake. The small watershed area helps keep Shady Oak Lake healthy and limits stormwater runoff pollution entering the lake.

For information about other past District projects, click here

Recreation

Shady Oak Lake offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities. Amenities include the MN River Bluffs LRT regional trail which passes over the lake, a playground, volleyball nets, a swimming beach, and boat rentals. Admission is required for certain activities: find more information on the City of Minnetonka page. A variety of fish species live in the lake including: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, common carp, white sucker, and golden shiner.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources may have additional information on the lake (including fishing regulations; location; water access sites; lake maps; lake reports on stocking, ice in/out and water quality; fish consumption; and aquatic plant surveys) if so, that information can be found here:

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html

Downloadable water quality data can be found here:

https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/water-quality-data