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D

Scott County Lake Quality

Minnesota, 24 lakes, average grade D (Nutrient-rich)

Scott County's 24 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. On average, Scott County lakes grade D, with phosphorus loading and reduced clarity showing up across most of the dataset.

The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the grades sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest lake on the books is Cate'S Lake (A); the most-stressed is Cedar Lake (F).

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Quick Answers for Scott County

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

Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Cate'S Lake — or browse the full Minnesota regulations index.

Fishing in Scott County

Scott County Fishing Guide

Fish species and best-graded lakes in Scott County

DNR Reports (31)

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

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

All Lakes in Scott County

24 lakes · 21 graded, 3 not rated21 graded lakes · 3 not rated, hidden

#LakeGradeClarityPhosphorusAlgaeTrophicMax DepthAccess
1ACate'S LakeScottA5.6 ft20 µg/L3 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samplesCarry-in
2CBlue LakeScottC1.9 ft164.5 µg/L14.5 µg/LNo recent samples50 ftCarry-in
3CUpper Prior LakeScottC5 ft38.7 µg/L8.8 µg/LNo recent samples50 ft✓ Public
4CLower Prior LakeScottC10 ft27 µg/L4.8 µg/LNo recent samples60 ft✓ Public
5CO'Dowd LakeScottC5.5 ft27.5 µg/L7.5 µg/LNo recent samples22 ft✓ Public
6CCentral Mystic LakeScottCNo recent samples33.5 µg/L9.5 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samplesCarry-in
7CDeans LakeScottCNo recent samples33 µg/L3.4 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samplesCarry-in
8DPike LakeScottD2.3 ft189.8 µg/L20.6 µg/LNo recent samples9 ftCarry-in
9DUnnamed LakeScottD2.9 ft83.5 µg/L12.4 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samplesCarry-in
10DFish LakeScottD3.9 ft60 µg/L20.2 µg/LNo recent samples28 ft✓ Public
11DRice LakeScottD1.7 ft728 µg/L24.5 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samplesCarry-in
12DCrystal LakeScottD6.8 ft51 µg/L12.5 µg/LNo recent samples26 ftCarry-in
13DBuck LakeScottD2.6 ft272 µg/L14 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samplesCarry-in
14DSpring LakeScottD6.2 ft64.6 µg/L14.3 µg/LNo recent samples37 ft✓ Public
15FCedar LakeScottF2 ft103 µg/L62 µg/LNo recent samples13 ft✓ Public
16FCleary LakeScottF2.3 ft186.6 µg/L61.1 µg/LNo recent samples9 ft✓ Public
17FSwamp LakeScottF2.1 ft122 µg/L38 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
18FMcmahon LakeScottF2.3 ft71 µg/L36 µg/LNo recent samples14 ft✓ Public
19FFisher LakeScottF1.1 ft286 µg/L34.5 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samplesCarry-in
20FThole LakeScottF2.8 ft76.5 µg/L39 µg/LNo recent samples12 ft✓ Public
21FEast Arctic LakeScottFNo recent samples94.5 µg/L44.6 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samplesCarry-in
NRMill PondScottNR4.5 ftNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples18 ft✓ Public
NRKrenz LakeScottNR16.2 ftNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesCarry-in
NRMccoll PondScottNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples11 ftCarry-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 Scott 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.