Black Dog Creek is a small stream within the City of Burnsville in Dakota County, Minnesota, that discharges into Black Dog Lake. Much of the creek is within the Lower Minnesota River floodplain. In 1896 the creek had a drainage area of over 4,500 acres but watershed alterations and channel realignments over the years have divided the watershed into many small streams, including Black Dog Creek, which presently has a drainage area of only 29 acres (Young 2022). The creek relies mostly on groundwater discharge for its flow. 

Black Dog Lake is in the floodplain of the Minnesota River and drains to the river through a controlled outlet. The lake has served as a cooling pond for excess water heated by the Black Dog Generating Station operated by Xcel Energy. 

The adjacent map shows the drainage of Black Dog Creek and its relation to other nearby stream drainages. The Minnesota River floodplain is depicted while the nearby Minnesota River is off the map to the west and north. 

Black Dog Creek was formerly designated as a trout water but has been dropped from the State list because the waters were not reliably cold enough to support trout. Warm-water fish species outcompete stream trout for resources. 

Various searches provided no recent information on the quality or resources of Black Dog Creek. Young (2022) discusses the history and present understanding of Black Dog Creek resources.