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A lake with a sunset

Bailey Lake

Bailey Lake

Lake Description

Bailey Lake is located in Woodbury, MN. The lake has historically been characterized by extended dry periods, and throughout time has been used as farm land. However, Bailey Lake now permanently covers its full extent as a result of increased development throughout the surrounding areas, increasing stormwater to the area.

The lake elevation is controlled by a weir outlet structure which controls flow to the City of Woodbury’s Bailey Lake Lift Station. The station pumps water in SWWD’s Central Draw Storage Facility (CDSF).

Lake Details

LocationWoodbury
Shallow/DeepShallow
Surface Area62 acres
Average/Maximum Depth6 ft / 19 ft
Direct Watershed Area6,031 acres
Total Watershed Area14,243 acres
Impairment StatusImpaired for nutrients since 2024
Downstream WaterbodyCentral Draw Storage Facility at Glacial Valley Park

Monitoring & Water Quality in Bailey Lake

There is potential for surface water and groundwater to interact at Bailey Lake, so groundwater levels and quality are monitored at wells next to the lake and within SWWD’s CDSF. The Minnesota DNR continuously monitors groundwater levels at a set of four nested observation wells at CDSF. 

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency monitors groundwater quality in the areas as part of their ambient groundwater monitoring program. Samples are analyzed for several potential contaminants such as total phosphorus (TP), bromide, and chloride. 

Of primary significance due to high surface water/groundwater interaction are nutrients and chloride which are both sourced through stormwater inflows to Bailey Lake. High bromide and chloride indicates that observed chloride is likely from road deicing materials, aka road salts. 

Approximately 18,430 acres is drained from the lake. The lake is shallow with a maximum observed depth of 6.7 meters.The lake is 61-acres in size. Average Secchi depth in Bailey Lake is 1.0 meters, which meets the Minnesota State Standard of 1.0 meters. A Secchi disk is a black and white circular disk used to measure water transparency or turbidity by assessing the depth the disk is visually present under the surface of the water. The more turbid or “murky” the water, the shallower the Secchi depth will be, the more transparent or “clear” the water, the deeper the Secchi depth will be.

Monitoring has shown that Bailey Lake has an overall Trophic State of 67, indicating a green eutrophic lake.  

Monitoring Data

Bailey Lake Vegetation

One way to measure lake health is by species richness, or the presence or lack of a diverse aquatic animal population. In general, Bailey Lake has meets the threshold for species richness for its ecological region.

Glacial Valley Park

Just south of Bailey Lake is Glacial Valley Park, the site of 250-acres of restored prairie and a overflow basin of Bailey Lake. Glacial Valley Park is a part of the conservation corridor and greater Central Draw Storage Facility, a two decades long effort to mitigate flooding risk to southern Woodbury and Northern Cottage Grove.

Learn more about Glacial Valley Park

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