Chippewa Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota1,186 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Chippewa Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- zebra mussel
- 95 ft max depth
- Public access
Chippewa Lake in Douglas County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 95 ft. Surface area: 1185.81 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 9.00 walleye per gill net at Chippewa Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–24 inches. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Chippewa Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 90 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Chippewa Lake is a 1,186-acre mesotrophic lake in Douglas County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 95 feet (24-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 19 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 36 other monitored lakes in Douglas County, Chippewa Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Chippewa Lake covers about 1,200 acres in Douglas County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 13, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Chippewa Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Chippewa Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.8 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing19 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 13
- Deep water95 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,186 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Chippewa Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Chippewa 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 Chippewa Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Chippewa 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 14.8 ft. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.5 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.5µg/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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Chippewa Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Chippewa Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was moderate (43,652 cells/mL) on November 15, 2025.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 9.00 walleye per gill net at Chippewa Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–24 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Chippewa Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
14 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-04 (Standard Survey).
14 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-04 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 19.83 | 3–9 in 2025-08-04 | 0.15 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 19.73 | 4–18 in 2025-08-04 | 0.9 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 10.66 | ||
| Walleye | 6.92 | 9–24 in 2025-08-04 | 1.69 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
Walleye
From the 2025-08-04 survey
Chippewa Lake (also commonly referred to as Big Chippewa Lake) is a 1,185 acre moderately productive basin located northeast of Brandon in Douglas County. This lake is relatively deep with a maximum depth of 95 feet. Mean depth is estimated at 24 feet. Chippewa Lake is located within the Chippewa River watershed and…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Chippewa Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ChippewaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — ChippewaFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — ChippewaPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
95 ft
Average depth
24 ft
Surface area
1,186 acres
Shoreline
14.2 mi
Littoral zone
46%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
19 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,345 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Chippewa LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Chippewa Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Chippewa Lake in Douglas 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 Chippewa 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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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Chippewa 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 Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.1 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.02 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 13
Earliest Apr 7, 2004 · Latest Apr 16, 2002
Typical ice-in
Dec 3
Earliest Nov 29, 2003 · Latest Dec 20, 2001
Most recent ice-out
Apr 7
2004
6 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Chippewa 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 MN21-0145-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Douglas County
Frequently asked questions about Chippewa Lake
Where is Chippewa Lake?
- Chippewa Lake is a lake in Douglas County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Chippewa Lake?
- Chippewa Lake in Douglas County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 95 ft. Surface area: 1185.81 acres.
Is Chippewa Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Chippewa Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Chippewa Lake?
- Chippewa Lake has a maximum depth of 95 feet and an average depth of 24 feet. The lake covers 1185.81 acres.
What fish are in Chippewa Lake?
- Fish species found in Chippewa Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Chippewa Lake is located in Douglas County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Chippewa Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 9.00 walleye per gill net at Chippewa Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–24 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Chippewa Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Chippewa Lake thaw?
- Chippewa Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 13. Ice typically forms around Dec 3. The open water season is approximately 234 days.
Does Chippewa Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Chippewa Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was moderate (43,652 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Chippewa Lake?
- Chippewa Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Chippewa Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Chippewa Lake?
- Chippewa 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 Chippewa Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Douglas County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
183 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA183 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate