Clearwater Lake
Wright County, Minnesota3,187 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Clearwater Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 73 ft max depth
- Public access
Clearwater Lake in Wright County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 73 ft. Surface area: 3186.88 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 1.62 walleye per gill net at Clearwater Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–12 inches. DNR survey details →
Clearwater Lake is a 3,187-acre mesotrophic lake in Wright County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 73 feet (19-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 17 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 50 other monitored lakes in Wright County, Clearwater Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Clearwater Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water9.8 ft of visibility
- Fishing17 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 11
- Deep water73 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water3,187 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. Clearwater Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. 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.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.8 ft. Phosphorus 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.3 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 22µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.3µg/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 Clearwater 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 Clearwater Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (102,802 cells/mL) on April 4, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 1.62 walleye per gill net at Clearwater Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–12 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 declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
22 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-10-07 (Targeted Survey).
22 surveys on file · most recent 2025-10-07 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 22.51 | 3–9 in 2025-07-28 | 0.16 lb |
| Walleye | 13.28 | 7–12 in 2025-10-07 | 1.76 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 11.85 | 8–16 in 2025-07-28 | 1.07 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 10.04 | 5–13 in 2025-07-28 | 0.68 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 7.78 |
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
Walleye
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Bullhead
From the 2025-10-07 survey
The Walleye population in Clearwater Lake has been sustained through fry stocking since 1998, with annual fry stocking conducted from 2014 through 2019. While fry stocking has been regularly implemented, fall electrofishing results have only exceeded the target catch rate of 25 young-of-year (YOY) Walleye per hour…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Clearwater Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ClearwaterFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Clearwater (2009)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — ClearwaterFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — ClearwaterPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
73 ft
Average depth
19.2 ft
Surface area
3,187 acres
Shoreline
22.3 mi
Littoral zone
50%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
156 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
981 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Clearwater Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Clearwater Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
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: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.79 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.51 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 11
Earliest Mar 19, 2017 · Latest Apr 26, 2014
Typical ice-in
Dec 5
Earliest Nov 28, 2007 · Latest Dec 14, 2004
Most recent ice-out
Mar 19
2017
18 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Clearwater Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN86-0252-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Wright County
Frequently asked questions about Clearwater Lake
Where is Clearwater Lake?
- Clearwater Lake is a lake in Wright 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 Wright County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 73 ft. Surface area: 3186.88 acres.
Is Clearwater Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Clearwater Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Clearwater Lake?
- Clearwater Lake has a maximum depth of 73 feet and an average depth of 19.2 feet. The lake covers 3186.88 acres.
What fish are in Clearwater Lake?
- Fish species found in Clearwater Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, silver redhorse, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Clearwater Lake is located in Wright County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Clearwater Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 1.62 walleye per gill net at Clearwater Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–12 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 declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Clearwater Lake thaw?
- Clearwater Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 11. Ice typically forms around Dec 5. The open water season is approximately 238 days.
Does Clearwater Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Clearwater Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (102,802 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Clearwater Lake?
- Public access to Clearwater 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.
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Compare Clearwater Lake With Nearby Lakes
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Wright County · 3 ft
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Where this data comes from
144 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
MNPCA144 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate