Adney Lake Association
Crow Wing County, MN

Adney Lake Basic Information:
County: Crow Wing
ID: 18022500
Lat/Lon: 46.629871, -94.009581
PLS: T136R26S6
Elevation: 1,212 ft.
Area: 310.06 acres
Littoral Area: 157 acres
Shore Length: 2.87 miles
Maximum Depth: 27 feet (52% of the lake is <15 feet deep)
Dominant Bottom Substrate: Primarily sand with some gravel, rubble and muck.
Aquatic Plants: 29 varieties sampled
Fish Species: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, sunfish, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, bowfin (dogfish), white sucker, banded killifish, blackchin shiner, blacknose shiner, bluntnose minnow, Iowa darter, tadpole madtom.

Adney Lake was last surveyed by the DNR in 2010. A new survey was taken in June 2024 but the report is not yet completed. You may have seen red floating markers to indicate nets placed by the DNR. They retrieved the nets and counted the fish by type. We hope to have a preliminary report by the Annual Meeting/Picnic. (MN DNR Fisheries (218) 671-7930; Conservation Officer - Tony Flerlage, 888-646-6367.)

MPCA testing of water clarity in 2015 showed >4 meters (>12 feet) secchi depth and colored dissolved organic matter in 2016 of 0.1. (The 2010 survey reported a clarity of 17 feet.) The MPCA typically focuses on lakes greater than 500 acres and tests only a portion of smaller lakes with public accesses. They indicate tracking water clarity is like monitoring your blood pressure. It reflects the overall health of the lake. For this reason, they offer a Citizen Lake Monitoring Program for lake enthusiasts who would like to test the water and report results. Mark Fritsvold has been measuring the lake clarity of Adney Lake since June 2023 and measured a clarity of over 20 feet.

Residents have noticed a reduction in the algae bloom present in the lake. This is likely due to fewer owners using fertilizer containing phosphorus and the drought limiting run-off into the lake.

The MPCA has a simple, no-cost test for blue-green algae if anyone is interested in finding out more about this issue. www.pca.state.mn.us says a simple Jar Test can help determine if the green color is from blue-green algae, or just an overabundance of more beneficial types of planktonic algae. There is also a stick test to identify a mat of green floating material. If you push a sturdy stick through the green mat and slowly pull it out to find it looking like it had been dipped into paint, it is likely blue-green algae. If the stick comes out with green strands like hair or threads, it is probably filamentous green algae which may be a nuisance but is not a health hazard.
Area Hydrologist, Hiedi Lindgren, 201-203-4368.

Mnlakesandrivers.org has printed a June 2023 draft statement entitled Minnesota's Vanishing Natural Shoreline: A Loss that Contributes to Degraded Lake Quality. The report shows that many of Minnesota's lakes are in trouble. About half of Minnesota's natural shorelines have already been lost and natural shoreline continues to vanish at an alarming rate. Mowed or cleared shorelines allow 7 to 9 times more pollutants to enter the lake creating serious water quality issues, promoting algae blooms and excessive aquatic vegetation.

We were pleased to hear at the Adney Lake 2023 Association meeting and picnic that our lake is in good shape so far. Although there has been some shore clearing completely to the water line, a good share remains natural habitat providing protection of clean water, healthy fish population and habitat for other treasured residents such as frogs, butterflies and loons. Our goal as an Association will be to continue to protect the shoreline and prevent unnecessary clearing.