Watonwan County Lake Quality
Minnesota, 5 lakes, average grade C (Fair)
Only 5 lakes in Watonwan 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. Watonwan County averages to a C. The distribution behind that average matters more than the letter: a few stressed lakes versus many decent ones can produce the same average as the inverse.
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 St James Lake (C); the most-stressed is Long Lake (D).
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Quick Answers for Watonwan County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for St James Lake, whether the fish are safe to eat, and the best times to fish — or browse the full Minnesota regulations index.
Fishing in Watonwan County
DNR Reports (12)
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder resources for lakes in Watonwan County. browse all reports →
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — St. JamesFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — LongFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — KansasFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — FedjiFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — FedjiFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — FedjiPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — KansasFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — KansasPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — LongFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — LongPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — St. JamesFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — St. JamesPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
All Lakes in Watonwan County
5 lakes · 4 graded, 1 not rated4 graded lakes · 1 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Max Depth | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CSt James LakeWatonwan | C | 3 ft | 51.5 µg/L | 16.3 µg/L | No recent samples | 15.4 ft | ✓ Public |
| 2 | CFedji LakeWatonwan | C | 3.3 ft | 45 µg/L | 7.8 µg/L | No recent samples | 6 ft | ✓ Public |
| 3 | DLong LakeWatonwan | D | 2.5 ft | 58 µg/L | 14.6 µg/L | No recent samples | 13 ft | ✓ Public |
| 4 | DKansas LakeWatonwan | D | 1.5 ft | 192 µg/L | 25.8 µg/L | No recent samples | 7 ft | ✓ Public |
| NRUnnamed LakeWatonwan | NR | 1 ft | 275 µg/L | 142 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
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.
Lake Match
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Six questions — swimming, fishing, quiet, cabins, drive time — and a shortlist of graded lakes that fit, with the water quality behind each one.
Other Counties in Minnesota
See how Watonwan 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.