Augusta Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota187 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Augusta Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 82 ft max depth
- Public access
Augusta Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 25.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 82 ft. Surface area: 187.12 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 2019 caught 1.80 walleye per gill net at Augusta Lake. DNR survey details →
Augusta Lake is a 187-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Stearns County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 82 feet (25-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 18 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 31 other monitored lakes in Stearns County, Augusta Lake ranks #13 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Augusta Lake covers about 190 acres in Stearns County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 8, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Augusta Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Augusta Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing18 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 8
- Deep water82 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Augusta 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 Augusta Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Augusta Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.3 ft. Phosphorus 25.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13.4 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 25.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13.4µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Augusta Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Augusta Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 51°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 53°F) and coldest in Apr (about 43°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (43°F) to its warmest (53°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 940 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Augusta Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 2019 caught 1.80 walleye per gill net at Augusta Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Augusta Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2019-07-01 (Standard Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2019-07-01 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 23.31 | 3–8 in 2019-07-01 | 0.19 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 9.53 | 7–14 in 2019-07-01 | 0.71 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 6.64 | 7–19 in 2019-07-01 | 1.55 lb |
| Black Crappie | 6.47 | 3–13 in 2019-07-01 | 0.36 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 4.69 | 4–7 in 2019-07-01 | 0.08 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.37 | 17–32 in 2019-07-01 | 2.76 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Bluegill
Yellow Bullhead
Largemouth Bass
Black Crappie
From the 2019-07-01 survey
Augusta Lake is a 177 acre lake located on the Clearwater River near the town of South Haven in Wright County. The lake has a maximum depth of 82 feet and good water clarity; Secchi depth was 7.0 feet in early July and MPCA data show a ten year summer average of 6.6 feet. The watershed is large and land use is…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Augusta Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — AugustaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — AugustaFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
82 ft
Average depth
24.9 ft
Surface area
187 acres
Shoreline
4.8 mi
Littoral zone
35%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
95 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
988 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Bob's BayPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Augusta Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Augusta Lake in Stearns 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Augusta Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Augusta Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Augusta Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+4.44 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+3.39 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 8
Earliest Apr 5, 2004 · Latest Apr 12, 2003
Most recent ice-out
Apr 8
2005
5 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Stearns County
Frequently asked questions about Augusta Lake
Where is Augusta Lake?
- Augusta Lake is a lake in Stearns County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Augusta Lake?
- Augusta Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 25.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 82 ft. Surface area: 187.12 acres.
Is Augusta Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Augusta Lake?
- Augusta Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in September, from 940 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Augusta Lake?
- Augusta Lake has a maximum depth of 82 feet and an average depth of 24.9 feet. The lake covers 187.12 acres.
What fish are in Augusta Lake?
- Fish species found in Augusta Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Augusta Lake is located in Stearns County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Augusta Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 2019 caught 1.80 walleye per gill net at Augusta Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Augusta Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Augusta Lake thaw?
- Augusta Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 8.
Are there boat ramps on Augusta Lake?
- Augusta Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bob's Bay. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Augusta Lake?
- Augusta Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.
Explore Augusta Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
93 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA93 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate