Cate'S Lake
Scott County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Cate'S Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 23 ft max depth
- Limited data
Cate'S Lake in Scott County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3 µg/L.
Cate'S Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Scott County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 23 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 20 other monitored lakes in Scott County, Cate'S Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Cate'S Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 30
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 Cate'S 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 Cate'S Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Cate'S 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 5.6 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3µg/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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Cate'S Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Cate'S Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 81°F) and coldest in Oct (about 55°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (55°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 67 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Cate'S Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~23 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 Cate'S Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
25 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
935 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 Cate'S Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Cate'S Lake in Scott 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 Cate'S Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Cate'S Lake’s readings
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Fishing Cate'S Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2024–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 30
Earliest Mar 17, 2012 · Latest Apr 1, 2009
Typical ice-in
Nov 28
Earliest Nov 23, 2010 · Latest Dec 5, 2009
Most recent ice-out
Mar 17
2012
17 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Scott County
Frequently asked questions about Cate'S Lake
Where is Cate'S Lake?
- Cate'S Lake is a lake in Scott County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cate'S Lake?
- Cate'S Lake in Scott County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3 µg/L.
Is Cate'S 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 Cate'S Lake?
- Cate'S Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October, from 67 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Cate'S Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Cate'S Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 23 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 Cate'S Lake thaw?
- Cate'S Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 30. Ice typically forms around Nov 28. The open water season is approximately 243 days.
Can I fish at Cate'S Lake?
- Public access to Cate'S 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.
Explore Cate'S Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Scott County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
56 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA56 samples · 2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Analysis of Chlorophyll in Periphyton and Plankton
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