Clearwater Lake
Cook County, Minnesota462 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Clearwater Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- spiny waterflea
- 65 ft max depth
Clearwater Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 29 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 65 ft. Surface area: 461.73 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 17, 2000 caught 2.67 walleye per gill net at Clearwater Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–22 inches. DNR survey details →
Clearwater Lake is a 462-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 65 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Cook County, Clearwater Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Clearwater Lake covers about 460 acres in Cook County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Clearwater Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Clearwater Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water29 ft of visibility
- Deep water65 ft surveyed max depth
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Clearwater 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 Clearwater Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Clearwater Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 29 ft down. Phosphorus 4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.3 µg/L. TSI 29.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 29ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 4µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.3µg/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. | 29 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Clearwater Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 17, 2000 caught 2.67 walleye per gill net at Clearwater Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–22 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Clearwater Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-13 (Targeted Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-13 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 2.67 | 7–22 in 2000-07-17 | 2.36 lb |
| White Sucker | 0.83 | 9–20 in 2000-07-17 | 1.35 lb |
| Northern Pike | 0.67 | 17–41 in 2000-07-17 | 5.49 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 0.17 | 1–13 in 2000-07-17 | 1.44 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.
Walleye
White Sucker
Northern Pike
Smallmouth Bass
From the 2025-08-13 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Caribou Lake on August 13th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Whitefish, the only coldwater species present in this lake. During the summer, Lake…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Clearwater Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CaribouFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
65 ft
Surface area
462 acres
Shoreline
8.1 mi
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Clearwater Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Clearwater Lake
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Follow Clearwater Lake’s readings
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Fishing Clearwater 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: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.04 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.01 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Clearwater Lake
Where is Clearwater Lake?
- Clearwater 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 Clearwater Lake?
- Clearwater Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 29 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 65 ft. Surface area: 461.73 acres.
Is Clearwater Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Clearwater Lake?
- Clearwater Lake has a maximum depth of 65 feet. The lake covers 461.73 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Clearwater Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 17, 2000 caught 2.67 walleye per gill net at Clearwater Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–22 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Clearwater Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Clearwater Lake?
- Public access to Clearwater 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 Clearwater Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Cook County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Lake Superior Basin (MN+WI), ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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State Parks Near Clearwater Lake
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Oligotrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Compare Clearwater Lake With Nearby Lakes
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Where this data comes from
215 measurements from 7 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
MNPCA215 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 (7)
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder