Berger Lake
Otter Tail County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Berger Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 49 ft max depth
- Limited data
Berger Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16.5 µg/L.
Berger Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 49 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 65 other monitored lakes in Otter Tail County, Berger Lake ranks #65 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
The median ice-out date is April 9, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Berger Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Berger Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 9
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 Berger 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 Berger Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Berger 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 5 ft. Phosphorus 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 16.5 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 40µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 16.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Berger Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Berger Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in May (about 60°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (60°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 14 field readings (2011–2019) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Berger Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~49 ft est.
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Berger Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
306 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,342 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Berger Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Berger Lake in Otter Tail 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Berger Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Berger 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 →
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Fishing Berger Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 9
Earliest Mar 31, 2002 · Latest Apr 24, 2008
Typical ice-in
Nov 26
Earliest Nov 11, 2003 · Latest Nov 30, 2006
Most recent ice-out
Apr 24
2008
11 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Berger Lake
Where is Berger Lake?
- Berger Lake is a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Berger Lake?
- Berger Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16.5 µg/L.
Is Berger 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 Berger Lake?
- Berger Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September, from 14 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2019). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Berger Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Berger Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 49 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
When does Berger Lake thaw?
- Berger Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 9. Ice typically forms around Nov 26. The open water season is approximately 231 days.
Can I fish at Berger Lake?
- Public access to Berger Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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.
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Where this data comes from
14 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA14 samples · 2020–2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent 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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate