Alice Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota15 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Alice Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
Alice Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 494 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 254 µg/L. Surface area: 15 acres.
Alice Lake is a 15-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 65 other monitored lakes in Otter Tail County, Alice Lake ranks #66 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Based on E. coli testing, Alice Lake rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 2.8% of 36 samples across 3 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Minnesota’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Whether Alice Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Alice Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Alice Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 0.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 494 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 254 µg/L. TSI 86.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 494µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 254µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 86 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Alice Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Alice Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in Mar (about 37°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (37°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 188 field readings (2023–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Alice Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
15 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
No bathymetric survey has been published for Alice Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Alice Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Alice Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Alice Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Alice Lake
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Fishing Alice Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+41 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+30.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Alice Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Central (Wright) (completed 1921), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Ottertail River; gravity-type dam, 26 ft tall and 183 ft long.
- Surface area
- 15 ac
- Normal storage
- 400 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 400 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,250 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Otter Tail Power Company
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00195 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.94 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Alice Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN56-0867-00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Alice Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger.
- Fergus Falls WwtpFergus Falls · 1.8 mi away · NPDES MN0050628Major
- Del Monte Foods Inc - Sleepy Eye Plant 114Fergus Falls · 0.6 mi away · NPDES MN0001171
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Alice Lake
Where is Alice Lake?
- Alice Lake is a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Alice Lake?
- Alice Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 494 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 254 µg/L. Surface area: 15 acres.
Is Alice Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Alice Lake rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 2.8% of 36 samples across 3 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Alice Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for Minnesota's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Alice Lake?
- Alice Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in October, from 188 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Can I fish at Alice Lake?
- Public access to Alice Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
1,876 measurements from 10 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA1,876 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Turbidity, Nephelometric Method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (10)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder