Chester Lake
Cook County, Minnesota52 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Chester Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 35 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Chester Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.9 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 35 ft. Surface area: 51.97 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 23, 2024 caught 6.00 brown trout per gill net at Chester Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–17 inches. DNR survey details →
Chester Lake is a 52-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 35 feet (14-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including brown trout, rainbow smelt, and white sucker. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-08-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Chester Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.9 ft of visibility
- Fishing3 species recorded
- Deep water35 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Chester Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Chester 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 Chester Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Chester Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 11.9 ft. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading 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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Chester Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Chester Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 71°F) and coldest in Sep (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 (71°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 12 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Chester Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 23, 2024 caught 6.00 brown trout per gill net at Chester Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–17 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Chester Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-09-23 (Standard Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2024-09-23 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathead Minnow | 28.45 | 1–2 in 1997-09-29 | |
| White Sucker | 5.63 | 6–16 in 2024-09-23 | 0.9 lb |
| Brown Trout | 3.24 | 11–17 in 2024-09-23 | 1.59 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.
Fathead Minnow
White Sucker
Brown Trout
From the 2024-09-23 survey
Chester Lake is a small, 52-acre lake with a maximum depth of 35 ft and is located approximately 11 miles northwest of Hovland. Chester Lake lies within the Lake Superior North watershed, draining to Lake Superior via Portage Brook and the Pigeon River. There is a small carry-in access located on the north end of the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Chester Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ChesterFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Chester (1670)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — ChesterFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — ChesterPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
35 ft
Average depth
14.2 ft
Surface area
52 acres
Shoreline
1.5 mi
Littoral zone
56%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,883 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Chester Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Chester Lake in Cook 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 Chester Lake
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Follow Chester Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Chester Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Chester 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: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN16-0033-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Chester Lake
Where is Chester Lake?
- Chester Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Chester Lake?
- Chester Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.9 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 35 ft. Surface area: 51.97 acres.
Is Chester Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Chester Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Chester Lake?
- Chester Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in September, from 12 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Chester Lake?
- Chester Lake has a maximum depth of 35 feet and an average depth of 14.2 feet. The lake covers 51.97 acres.
What fish are in Chester Lake?
- Fish species found in Chester Lake include brown trout, rainbow smelt, white sucker. Chester Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Chester Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 23, 2024 caught 6.00 brown trout per gill net at Chester Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–17 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Chester Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Chester Lake?
- Public access to Chester Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Chester Lake across LakeQuality
10.8 mi away · 50 ft
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Where this data comes from
2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Eastern Regional Office
USFSEASTERN2 samples · 2021–2023
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