Bella Lake
Nobles County, Minnesota180 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bella Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 14 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Bella Lake in Nobles County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 636 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 145 µg/L. Maximum depth: 14 ft. Surface area: 179.51 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 19, 2017 caught 3.67 walleye per gill net at Bella Lake. DNR survey details →
Bella Lake is a 180-acre lake in Nobles County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 14 feet. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-08-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bella Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing12 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bella Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bella 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 Bella Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Bella Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 636 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 145 µg/L. TSI 85.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 636µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 145µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 85 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Bella Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 19, 2017 caught 3.67 walleye per gill net at Bella Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bella Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-05-16 (Targeted Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2023-05-16 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathead Minnow | 2857.14 | ||
| Black Bullhead | 47.47 | 3–9 in 2017-06-19 | 0.19 lb |
| Common Carp | 14.35 | 11–30 in 2017-06-19 | 2.65 lb |
| Bigmouth Buffalo | 12.90 | 11–27 in 2017-06-19 | 4.7 lb |
| White Crappie | 12.80 | 8–12 in 2017-06-19 | 0.36 lb |
| Freshwater Drum | 5.07 | 6–26 in 2017-06-19 | 0.9 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.
Black Bullhead
Common Carp
Bigmouth Buffalo
White Crappie
From the 2023-05-16 survey
Bella Lake is a 182-acre reservoir located 8 miles south of the City of Worthington, in Nobles County. On a year with average water level fluctuations, the lake has a maximum depth of 14 ft. Bella Lake serves as an aquifer replenishment reservoir for Worthington municipal water supplies, and thus has substantial water…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bella Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BellaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — BellaFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BellaPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
14 ft
Surface area
180 acres
Shoreline
6 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
42 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,545 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Lake BellaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bella Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bella Lake in Nobles 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 Bella Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Bella Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bella Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Bella (completed 1971), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Ocheydan River; earth-type dam, 28 ft tall and 924 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 1,150 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,220 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 67 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- WD of Okabena-Ocheda
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00316 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Bella 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: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN53-0045-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Nobles County
Frequently asked questions about Bella Lake
Where is Bella Lake?
- Bella Lake is a lake in Nobles County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bella Lake?
- Bella Lake in Nobles County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 636 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 145 µg/L. Maximum depth: 14 ft. Surface area: 179.51 acres.
Is Bella Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bella Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bella Lake?
- Bella Lake has a maximum depth of 14 feet. The lake covers 179.51 acres.
What fish are in Bella Lake?
- Fish species found in Bella Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, northern pike, walleye, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Bella Lake is located in Nobles County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bella Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 19, 2017 caught 3.67 walleye per gill net at Bella Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bella 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 Bella Lake?
- Bella Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Bella. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bella Lake?
- Bella 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 Bella Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA4 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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