Clearwater County Lake Quality

Minnesota, 40 lakes, average grade B (Good)

Clearwater County's 40 graded lakes fall in the moderate-density bracket for Minnesota. The county-level average smooths over real differences — a single agricultural watershed near the southwest corner can pull the average down even if the rest of the county runs clean. With an average grade of B, Clearwater County sits comfortably above the Minnesota median.

Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. Long Lake (A) is the cleanest in the county.

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Quick Answers for Clearwater County

Cleanest lakes in Clearwater County →Cleanest lakes in Minnesota →Safest swimming lakes in Minnesota →

Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Long Lake, whether the fish are safe to eat, and the best times to fish — or browse the full Minnesota regulations index.

DNR Reports (105)

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder resources for lakes in Clearwater County. Showing 12 most recent — browse all reports →

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Fisheries Lake Survey — Waptus
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Walker Brook
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Second
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Rockstad
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Pine
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Pickerel
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Peterson
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Ozawindib
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Minnow
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Minerva
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — McKenzie
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Long Lost
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder

All Lakes in Clearwater County

Rank	Lake	Grade	Clarity	Max Depth	Phosphorus
1	Long Lake	A	20 ft	80 ft	7 µg/L
2	Pickerel Lake	A	16.1 ft	60 ft	8 µg/L
3	Heart Lake	A	16 ft	55 ft	-
4	Little Bass Lake	A	-	35 ft	15 µg/L
5	Lone Lake	A	19.4 ft	70 ft	7 µg/L
6	Morrison Lake	A	39.4 ft	-	13 µg/L
7	Little Rock Lake	A	15.1 ft	-	9.5 µg/L
8	Long Lost Lake	A	23 ft	63 ft	10.5 µg/L
9	Schantzen Lake	A	16.1 ft	-	9.5 µg/L
10	Ozawindib Lake	A	19 ft	80 ft	7 µg/L
11	Clearwater Lake	A	10.3 ft	65 ft	15 µg/L
12	Island Lake	A	14.1 ft	58 ft	15 µg/L
13	Rock Lake	A	11.2 ft	-	16.5 µg/L
14	Elk Lake	A	12.4 ft	93 ft	18.5 µg/L
15	Bagley Lake	A	12.5 ft	39 ft	19 µg/L
16	Minnow Lake	A	10.5 ft	24 ft	14 µg/L
17	Falk Lake	A	13.3 ft	33 ft	14 µg/L
18	Big Lasalle Lake	A	10.3 ft	48 ft	9 µg/L
19	Waptus Lake	A	14.1 ft	45 ft	15 µg/L
20	Hoot Owl Lake	A	12.1 ft	78 ft	10.5 µg/L
21	Mckenzie Lake	A	12.6 ft	17 ft	13 µg/L
22	Cesar Lake	A	11.2 ft	-	17.5 µg/L
23	Peterson Lake	B	11.5 ft	70 ft	21.5 µg/L
24	Cox Lake	B	14 ft	30 ft	-
25	Pine Lake	B	10.2 ft	15 ft	20 µg/L
26	Walker Brook Lake	B	11 ft	45 ft	20 µg/L
27	Kibbee Lake	B	9 ft	-	13 µg/L
28	Jackson Lake	B	8.9 ft	-	15.5 µg/L
29	Andrews Lake	B	8.9 ft	-	16.5 µg/L
30	Johnson Lake	B	7.5 ft	70 ft	26 µg/L
31	Minerva Lake	B	7.3 ft	16 ft	26 µg/L
32	Lomond Lake	B	9.8 ft	45 ft	21 µg/L
33	Second Lake	B	7.2 ft	47 ft	21 µg/L
34	East Four-Legged Lake	B	4.6 ft	-	11 µg/L
35	First Lake	B	9.5 ft	36 ft	21 µg/L
36	Spike Lake	C	8.5 ft	-	30.5 µg/L
37	Itasca Lake	C	6.3 ft	40 ft	28 µg/L
38	Lower Rice Lake	C	-	-	38 µg/L
39	Rockstad Lake	C	4 ft	18 ft	48 µg/L
40	Lindberg Lake	C	4.9 ft	19 ft	33 µg/L

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.