Balsam Lake
Lake County, Minnesota239 acresView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Minnesota PCA for this lake.
- Impaired · Mercury
Balsam Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Surface area: 239 acres.
Balsam Lake is a 239-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingNot rated
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Balsam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) 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.
No clarity data. TSI undefined.
Ask about Balsam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
239 acres
Shoreline
3 mi
No bathymetric survey has been published for Balsam Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Stays near Balsam Lake
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Fishing Balsam Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Balsam Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN38-0245-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Balsam Lake
Where is Balsam Lake?
- Balsam Lake is a lake in Lake 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 Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Surface area: 239 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 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
Measurements for Balsam Lake come from the EPA Water Quality Portal. Per-sample source details are not recorded for this lake.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder