Lake Management Plan
The final Northern Chain of Lake Management Plan [PDF] was developed for Lynch, Plaisted, North & South School Section, and Goggins Lakes in 2016.
Water Quality and Lake Level Data
Water Monitoring by the WCD
The Washington Conservation District (WCD)'s water monitoring team monitors Goggins Lake for water quality every two weeks from spring through fall each year. The previous year's data becomes available each spring in the BCWD Monitoring Summary, which can be found on the Monitoring and Data Collection webpage. The lakes are listed alphabetically in Appendix A.
LakeFinder Data
The data collected by the WCD, including lake elevations, are reported regularly to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to be added into LakeFinder. LakeFinder data for Goggins Lake can be found at the following link: dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/lake.html?id=82007700. The 100-year high water level for Goggins Lake is 974.5 ft. See BCWD's Flooding webpage for tips on how to plan for high water.
Education and Events
2023 Water Quality and Flood Risk Workshop
In November 2023, BCWD held an online workshop for landowners along the northern chain of lakes. The purpose of the meeting was to empower residents to help protect water quality, restore native shoreline, and make personal choices about how to respond to their level of flood risk. The agenda included an overview of shallow lake ecology, sharing results of water quality and flooding assessments, and offering free site visits and technical assistance. Watch the meeting recording on YouTube.
Aquatic Vegetation in Goggins Lake
Goggins Lake is home to both native and invasive aquatic plants, including species that are unique to the area. An aquatic vegetation survey was most recently completed in 2025, and the results can be found in the resources section below. Good plants found include fern-leaf pondweed, white water lily, and Canadian waterweed. There is also a state-listed rare species that has been found in Goggins. Invasive curly-leaf pondweed has also been found in Goggins Lake and was treated in 2021. Learn more about aquatic plants in Goggins Lake and the rest of the watershed on the Aquatic Plants webpage.
Lake Resources
- Northern Chain of Lakes Management Plan [PDF]
- 2025 Aquatic Vegetation Survey Summary - South School Section and Goggins Lakes [PDF]
- 2022 Aquatic Vegetation Survey Summary - South School Section and Goggins Lakes [PDF]
- Northern Chain of Lakes Animation [GIF] - as water levels increase, water flows from Plaisted to North & South School Section to Goggins Lake. However, before the water level reaches the constructed outlet to Goggins, the water will raise further in South School Section before finally outletting the system at 970.5 ft. The system is monitored regularly and functioned as designed in the last high water cycle in 2019-2020.