Lake of the Woods County Lake Quality
Minnesota, 5 lakes, measured by Minnesota PCA
Lake of the Woods County has 5 monitored lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. 3 of those lakes carry recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. For Lake of the Woods County the spread behind the average matters more than the average itself: a few nutrient-rich lakes among many clear ones produce the same figure as the inverse.
The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the readings sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest measured lake is Big Traverse Bay Lake.
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Quick Answers for Lake of the Woods County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Big Traverse Bay Lake — or browse the full Minnesota regulations index.
DNR Reports (2)
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder resources for lakes in Lake of the Woods County. browse all reports →
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Public Water Access Sites — Lake of the Woods (Main)Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Lake of the Woods (Fourmile Bay)Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
All Lakes in Lake of the Woods County
5 lakes · 3 ranked on readings, 2 without enough sampling3 lakes ranked on readings · 2 without enough sampling, hidden
| # | Lake | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Traverse Bay LakeLake of the Woods | 4 ft | 33.5 µg/L | 13.7 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 2 | Lake of the WoodsLake of the Woods | 5.2 ft | 31 µg/L | 13.6 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 3 | Low LakeLake of the Woods | 5.4 ft | 28 µg/L | 8.8 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| Winter Road LakeLake of the Woods | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| Lost LakeLake of the Woods | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded |
NR = no nutrient or algae reading on record. The measurements are published as the authority reports them. Where the data comes from.
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Source: the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR. See data sources.