Clear Lake

Clear Lake earns a D — measurements through 2024 show persistent nutrient pressure that limits clarity through the summer.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. A maximum depth of 29 ft puts Clear Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. The lake's 399 acres and 4.2 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Within the 97 graded lakes of Otter Tail County, Clear Lake sits at rank 90, near the bottom of the county list.

Clear Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 13 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The lake has a partial ice record — 6 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 9. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.