Balsam Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota716 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Balsam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 37 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Balsam Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 37 ft. Surface area: 715.83 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 27, 2022 caught 0.08 walleye per gill net at Balsam Lake. DNR survey details →
Balsam Lake is a 716-acre lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 37 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 14 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-08-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Balsam Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing14 species recorded
- Deep water37 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Balsam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Balsam 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 Balsam Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Balsam Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Balsam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 27, 2022 caught 0.08 walleye per gill net at Balsam Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Balsam Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-06-27 (Standard Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2022-06-27 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 11.78 | 3–8 in 2022-06-27 | 0.15 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 6.33 | 8–15 in 2022-06-27 | 0.82 lb |
| Black Crappie | 5.22 | 4–12 in 2022-06-27 | 0.29 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.56 | 14–36 in 2022-06-27 | 2.46 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 2.98 | 7–19 in 2022-06-27 | 1.37 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 2.08 | 5–8 in 2022-06-27 | 0.11 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
Tullibee (Cisco)
Black Crappie
Northern Pike
From the 2022-06-27 survey
Balsam Lake is a class 25 lake located 14 miles north of Taconite, MN. The lake has one public access and is moderately developed. Balsam Lake has a history of producing large Northern Pike. A special regulation was implemented in the spring of 2006 to maintain or improve size structure. The regulation requires all…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Balsam Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BalsamFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Balsam (0621)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BalsamPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
37 ft
Surface area
716 acres
Shoreline
10.3 mi
Littoral zone
41%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
26 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,332 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Balsam LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Balsam Lake
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Follow Balsam Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Balsam Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Balsam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Balsam Lake (completed 1936), built primarily for recreation on the Balsam Creek; gravity-type dam, 16 ft tall and 30 ft long.
- Surface area
- 103 ac
- Normal storage
- 13,980 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 16,776 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 42 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00082 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Balsam 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: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN31-0259-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Balsam Lake
Where is Balsam Lake?
- Balsam Lake is a lake in Itasca County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Balsam Lake?
- Balsam Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 37 ft. Surface area: 715.83 acres.
Is Balsam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Balsam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Balsam Lake?
- Balsam Lake has a maximum depth of 37 feet. The lake covers 715.83 acres.
What fish are in Balsam Lake?
- Fish species found in Balsam Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Balsam Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Balsam Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 27, 2022 caught 0.08 walleye per gill net at Balsam Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Balsam Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Balsam Lake?
- Balsam Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Balsam Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Balsam Lake?
- Balsam 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 Balsam Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
27 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA27 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory