Is Big Fish Lake Polluted?
Yes — Big Fish Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota is on the EPA's Clean Water Act 303(d) impaired-waters list (2024 assessment cycle). It is cited for Mercury. A formal cleanup plan — a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) — has been written. "Impaired" is a legal designation, separate from the lake's EPA condition class water-quality readings: it means at least one designated use (such as swimming, aquatic life, or fish consumption) does not meet state standards for the listed pollutant.
EPA 303(d) Listing
| On 303(d) impaired list | Listed impaired |
| Cleanup plan (TMDL) | Completed |
| Assessment cycle | 2024 |
| EPA IR category | 4A |
| Uses not supported | Fish consumption |
| EPA names this lake in the listing | Yes |
| Location | Stearns County, Minnesota |
Pollutants Cited
- Mercury — Mercury accumulates in fish tissue and is the single most common impairment in northern lakes. It usually arrives via atmospheric deposition from coal combustion rather than local discharge — which is why even remote, clear lakes can be mercury-impaired. It triggers fish-consumption advisories, not swimming closures.
Specific parameters in the EPA record: Mercury in Fish Tissue.
What this means for using Big Fish Lake
Big Fish Lake's listing is driven by contaminants that build up in fish (Mercury), so the practical impact is on eating the fish, not on swimming. Follow the state fish-consumption advisory for Minnesota. An impairment listing does not mean the lake is closed — most impaired lakes remain open for boating and swimming. It means a specific pollutant exceeds a standard for a specific use. Big Fish Lake measures algae (chlorophyll-a) at 1.8 µg/L and phosphorus at 9 µg/L. See the full breakdown on the lake report. The official EPA assessment is available in the ATTAINS waterbody report.
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