Beaver Lake
Steele County, Minnesota98 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Beaver Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 27 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Beaver Lake in Steele County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 27 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 97.95 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 10, 2023 caught 10.33 walleye per gill net at Beaver Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–26 inches. DNR survey details →
Beaver Lake is a 98-acre mesotrophic lake in Steele County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 27 feet. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Beaver Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing13 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Beaver 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 Beaver Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Beaver Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft. Phosphorus 27 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.8 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 27µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Beaver Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Beaver Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 47°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (47°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 42 field readings (2021–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Beaver Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 10, 2023 caught 10.33 walleye per gill net at Beaver Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Beaver Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. 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: 2023-07-10 (Standard Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2023-07-10 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 50.59 | 2–8 in 2023-07-10 | 0.14 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 29.03 | 5–20 in 2023-07-10 | 1.27 lb |
| Black Crappie | 9.30 | 7–9 in 2023-07-10 | 0.21 lb |
| Walleye | 4.56 | 6–26 in 2023-07-10 | 1.51 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.74 | 6–8 in 2023-07-10 | 0.13 lb |
| White Crappie | 2.06 | 7–9 in 2012-07-09 | 0.24 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
Largemouth Bass
Black Crappie
Walleye
From the 2023-07-10 survey
Beaver Lake is a 94-acre lake located approximately 5 miles northwest of the town of Ellendale in Steele County. Beaver Lake has a maximum depth of 27 feet with approximately 45% of the lake less than 15 feet deep. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency describes the overall condition of Beaver Lake as, "suitable for…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Beaver Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BeaverFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — BeaverFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BeaverPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
27 ft
Surface area
98 acres
Shoreline
1.9 mi
Littoral zone
43%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
6 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,198 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Beaver LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Beaver Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Beaver Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Beaver Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Beaver Lake (completed 1939), built primarily for other on the Straight River-TR; gravity-type dam, 11 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 91 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,395 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 21,410 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.47 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00410 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Steele County
Frequently asked questions about Beaver Lake
Where is Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake is a lake in Steele County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake in Steele County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 27 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 97.95 acres.
Is Beaver 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 Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in September, from 42 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2021–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake has a maximum depth of 27 feet. The lake covers 97.95 acres.
What fish are in Beaver Lake?
- Fish species found in Beaver Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Beaver Lake is located in Steele County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Beaver Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 10, 2023 caught 10.33 walleye per gill net at Beaver Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–26 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Beaver 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 Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Beaver Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Beaver Lake?
- Beaver 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 Beaver Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
20 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA20 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by 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