Ban Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota389 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ban Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 10 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ban Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 10 ft. Surface area: 389.29 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 0.44 walleye per gill net at Ban Lake. DNR survey details →
Ban Lake is a 389-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 10 feet. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-05-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Ban Lake covers about 390 acres in St. Louis County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Ban Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Ban Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing9 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ban Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ban 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 Ban Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Ban 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 6 ft. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6ft | 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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Ban Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Ban Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 59°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (59°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 17 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ban Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 0.44 walleye per gill net at Ban Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ban Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-18 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-18 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 7.27 | 5–7 in 2025-08-18 | 0.1 lb |
| Bluegill | 5.11 | 3–9 in 2025-08-18 | 0.24 lb |
| Black Crappie | 3.49 | 4–12 in 2025-08-18 | 0.31 lb |
| White Sucker | 2.32 | 8–19 in 2025-08-18 | 1.96 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 1.94 | 7–17 in 2025-08-18 | 1 lb |
| Northern Pike | 1.86 | 16–38 in 2025-08-18 | 2.99 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.
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Black Crappie
White Sucker
From the 2025-08-18 survey
Ban Lake is located approximately seven miles east of Orr, Minnesota. This 389-acre lake has a maximum depth of 10 feet and dark tannin-stained water. A fisheries survey was completed on Ban Lake in 2025 as part of a regular rotation of surveys in the International Falls Fisheries Management Area. Ban Lake follows…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ban Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BanFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — BanFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BanPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
10 ft
Surface area
389 acres
Shoreline
7.3 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,368 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Ban 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 Ban Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ban Lake in St. Louis 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 Ban Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Ban Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Ban Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Ban 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN69-0742-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Ban Lake
Where is Ban Lake?
- Ban Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ban Lake?
- Ban Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 10 ft. Surface area: 389.29 acres.
Is Ban Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ban Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Ban Lake?
- Ban Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September, from 17 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Ban Lake?
- Ban Lake has a maximum depth of 10 feet. The lake covers 389.29 acres.
What fish are in Ban Lake?
- Fish species found in Ban Lake include black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Ban Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ban Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 0.44 walleye per gill net at Ban Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ban Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Ban Lake?
- Ban Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Ban Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Ban Lake?
- Ban 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 Ban Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
6 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA6 samples · 2023–2025
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