Bear Lake
Freeborn County, Minnesota1,504 acresView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Minnesota PCA for this lake.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 3 ft max depth
Bear Lake in Freeborn County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 3.3 ft. Surface area: 1504 acres.
Bear Lake is a 1,504-acre lake in Freeborn County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 3 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bear Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Big water1,504 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bear Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bear 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 Bear Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Bear 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 Bear Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
3.3 ft
Surface area
1,504 acres
Shoreline
6.9 mi
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Fishing Bear Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Bear 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: Cultural, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN24-0028-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Freeborn County
Frequently asked questions about Bear Lake
Where is Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake is a lake in Freeborn County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake in Freeborn County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 3.3 ft. Surface area: 1504 acres.
Is Bear Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bear Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake has a maximum depth of 3.3 feet. The lake covers 1504 acres.
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Where this data comes from
Measurements for Bear 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