Steele County Lake Quality
Minnesota, 1 lake, average grade B (Good)
Only 1 lakes in Steele County carry an active grade. The county-level summary is therefore representative of those specific lakes, not necessarily of every water body in the county. The county-wide average lands at B — solid water quality with most lakes carrying clear summer transparency and low-to-moderate phosphorus.
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. Beaver Lake (B) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Steele County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Beaver Lake, whether the fish are safe to eat, and the best times to fish — or browse the full Minnesota regulations index.
DNR Reports (3)
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder resources for lakes in Steele County. browse all reports →
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BeaverFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — BeaverFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BeaverPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
All Lakes in Steele County
1 lake1 graded lake
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Max Depth | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBeaver LakeSteele | B | 9.5 ft | 27 µg/L | 7.8 µg/L | No recent samples | 27 ft | ✓ Public |
Lake Match
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Other Counties in Minnesota
See how Steele 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.