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. Clearwater 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 Clearwater Lake, whether the fish are safe to eat, and the best times to fish — or browse the full Minnesota regulations index.

Fishing in Clearwater County

Clearwater County Fishing Guide

Fish species and best-graded lakes in Clearwater County

DNR Reports (40)

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder resources for lakes in Clearwater County. browse all reports →

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

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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
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Long
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Lone
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Lomond
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Little Bass
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Lindberg
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Johnson
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Itasca
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Island
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Hoot Owl
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Heart
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — First
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Falk
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Elk
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Cox
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Clearwater
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fisheries Lake Survey — Bagley
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Aquatic Plant Report — Bagley (1701)
Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Public Water Access Sites — Bagley
Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Aquatic Plant Report — Clearwater (1712)
Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fish Stocking History — Clearwater
Fish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Public Water Access Sites — Clearwater
Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Aquatic Plant Report — Cox (1423)
Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Aquatic Plant Report — East Four-Legged (1722)
Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Aquatic Plant Report — Elk (1375)
Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fish Stocking History — Elk
Fish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Public Water Access Sites — Elk
Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Aquatic Plant Report — Falk (1713)
Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
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Fish Stocking History — Falk
Fish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder

All Lakes in Clearwater County

40 lakes · 37 graded, 3 not rated37 graded lakes · 3 not rated, hidden

Include not-rated lakes (3)

#	Lake	Grade	Clarity	Phosphorus	Algae	Trophic	Max Depth	Access
1	AClearwater LakeClearwater	A	10 ft	16 µg/L	3.2 µg/L	No recent samples	65 ft	✓ Public
2	ALong LakeClearwater	A	20.5 ft	7 µg/L	1.4 µg/L	No recent samples	80 ft	✓ Public
3	AIsland LakeClearwater	A	14.1 ft	15 µg/L	2.8 µg/L	No recent samples	58 ft	✓ Public
4	APeterson LakeClearwater	A	11.3 ft	22 µg/L	4.9 µg/L	No recent samples	70 ft	✓ Public
5	ARock LakeClearwater	A	11.2 ft	16.5 µg/L	4.9 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
6	AElk LakeClearwater	A	12 ft	20 µg/L	2.1 µg/L	No recent samples	93 ft	✓ Public
7	APine LakeClearwater	A	10.2 ft	20 µg/L	4.4 µg/L	No recent samples	15 ft	✓ Public
8	ALone LakeClearwater	A	19.4 ft	7 µg/L	1.8 µg/L	No recent samples	70 ft	✓ Public
9	AMorrison LakeClearwater	A	12 ft	13 µg/L	4 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
10	ALittle Rock LakeClearwater	A	15.1 ft	9.5 µg/L	3 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
11	AWalker Brook LakeClearwater	A	11.1 ft	20 µg/L	4.5 µg/L	No recent samples	45 ft	✓ Public
12	ABagley LakeClearwater	A	12.1 ft	20 µg/L	3.2 µg/L	No recent samples	39 ft	✓ Public
13	AMinnow LakeClearwater	A	10.5 ft	14.5 µg/L	4.5 µg/L	No recent samples	24 ft	✓ Public
14	ALomond LakeClearwater	A	10.1 ft	20.5 µg/L	5.1 µg/L	No recent samples	45 ft	✓ Public
15	ALong Lost LakeClearwater	A	22 ft	10.5 µg/L	2.4 µg/L	No recent samples	63 ft	✓ Public
16	AFalk LakeClearwater	A	12.8 ft	14 µg/L	2.7 µg/L	No recent samples	33 ft	✓ Public
17	ABig Lasalle LakeClearwater	A	10.2 ft	10.5 µg/L	3.2 µg/L	No recent samples	48 ft	✓ Public
18	AWaptus LakeClearwater	A	14.1 ft	15 µg/L	2.7 µg/L	No recent samples	45 ft	✓ Public
19	ASchantzen LakeClearwater	A	16.1 ft	9.5 µg/L	1.6 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
20	AOzawindib LakeClearwater	A	19 ft	7 µg/L	2.8 µg/L	No recent samples	80 ft	✓ Public
21	AHoot Owl LakeClearwater	A	12.1 ft	10.5 µg/L	2.6 µg/L	No recent samples	78 ft	Carry-in
22	AMckenzie LakeClearwater	A	12.6 ft	13 µg/L	1.6 µg/L	No recent samples	17 ft	✓ Public
23	AKibbee LakeClearwater	A	9 ft	13 µg/L	2.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
24	ACesar LakeClearwater	A	11.2 ft	17.5 µg/L	4.1 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
25	AJackson LakeClearwater	A	8.9 ft	15.5 µg/L	4.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
26	AAndrews LakeClearwater	A	8.9 ft	16.5 µg/L	3.4 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
27	BPickerel LakeClearwater	B	16.1 ft	8 µg/L	1.4 µg/L	No recent samples	60 ft	✓ Public
28	BLittle Bass LakeClearwater	B	No recent samples	15 µg/L	6.4 µg/L	No recent samples	35 ft	✓ Public
29	CJohnson LakeClearwater	C	7.7 ft	26 µg/L	7.6 µg/L	No recent samples	70 ft	✓ Public
30	CMinerva LakeClearwater	C	7 ft	26 µg/L	7.5 µg/L	No recent samples	16 ft	✓ Public
31	CSecond LakeClearwater	C	7.4 ft	21 µg/L	7.8 µg/L	No recent samples	47 ft	✓ Public
32	CSpike LakeClearwater	C	8.5 ft	24 µg/L	7.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
33	CItasca LakeClearwater	C	7.9 ft	26.5 µg/L	14.1 µg/L	No recent samples	40 ft	✓ Public
34	CFirst LakeClearwater	C	9.5 ft	19 µg/L	7.9 µg/L	No recent samples	36 ft	✓ Public
35	CLower Rice LakeClearwater	C	No recent samples	38 µg/L	2 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Carry-in
36	DRockstad LakeClearwater	D	4.3 ft	47.5 µg/L	28.9 µg/L	No recent samples	18 ft	✓ Public
37	DLindberg LakeClearwater	D	4.9 ft	33 µg/L	27.4 µg/L	No recent samples	19 ft	✓ Public
	NRHeart LakeClearwater	NR	17 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	55 ft	Carry-in
	NRCox LakeClearwater	NR	14 ft	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	30 ft	✓ Public
	NREast Four-Legged LakeClearwater	NR	4.6 ft	11 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Carry-in

NR = not rated: the monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar for a grade. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.

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Other Counties in Minnesota

Clay County

2 lakes · Avg grade A

Morrison County

16 lakes · Avg grade A

Hubbard County

76 lakes · Avg grade A

Cass County

130 lakes · Avg grade A

Cook County

139 lakes · Avg grade A

Crow Wing County

121 lakes · Avg grade A

See how Clearwater County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all 39 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.