Yellow Medicine County Lake Quality
Minnesota, 6 lakes, average grade D (Nutrient-rich)
Only 6 lakes in Yellow Medicine 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 grade is D — water quality issues are persistent across most of the monitored basins. 0 lakes fall into the F bracket outright.
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. Wood Lake (D) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Yellow Medicine County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Wood Lake, whether the fish are safe to eat, and the best times to fish — or browse the full Minnesota regulations index.
Fishing in Yellow Medicine County
DNR Reports (14)
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder resources for lakes in Yellow Medicine County. browse all reports →
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WoodFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — TysonFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Del ClarkFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CurtisFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — CurtisFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — CurtisPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Del Clark (1393)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Del ClarkFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Del ClarkPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — TimmPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — TysonFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — TysonPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — WoodFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WoodPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
All Lakes in Yellow Medicine County
6 lakes · 1 graded, 5 not rated1 graded lake · 5 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Max Depth | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DWood LakeYellow Medicine | D | 3 ft | 181.5 µg/L | 26.7 µg/L | No recent samples | 9 ft | ✓ Public |
| NRCurtis LakeYellow Medicine | NR | 4 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 8 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRDel Clark LakeYellow Medicine | NR | 5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 30 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRTyson LakeYellow Medicine | NR | 4.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 8 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRTimm LakeYellow Medicine | NR | 2 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public | |
| NRRuby LakeYellow Medicine | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded |
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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Other Counties in Minnesota
See how Yellow Medicine 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.