Elizabeth Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota1,023 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Elizabeth Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 9 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Elizabeth Lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 111 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 37 µg/L. Maximum depth: 9 ft. Surface area: 1023.47 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 7, 2022 caught 3.67 walleye per gill net at Elizabeth Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–5 inches. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Elizabeth Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 8 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Elizabeth Lake is a 1,023-acre lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 9 feet. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-06-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Elizabeth Lake covers about 1,000 acres in Kandiyohi County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Elizabeth Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Elizabeth Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing16 species recorded
- Big water1,023 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Elizabeth Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Elizabeth Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 111 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 37 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 111µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 37µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 67 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Elizabeth Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 7, 2022 caught 3.67 walleye per gill net at Elizabeth Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–5 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Elizabeth Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
16 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-08-27 (Targeted Survey).
16 surveys on file · most recent 2024-08-27 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 85.47 | 4–6 in 2022-06-07 | 0.18 lb |
| Walleye | 41.81 | 5 in 2024-08-27 | 1.95 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 26.51 | 4–12 in 2022-06-07 | 0.47 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 24.71 | 2–5 in 2002-06-19 | 0.07 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 15.80 | 8 in 2022-06-07 | 1.1 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 14.12 | 4–9 in 2022-06-07 | 0.16 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
Walleye
Black Bullhead
Green Sunfish
From the 2024-08-27 survey
A targeted fall daytime electrofishing survey was conducted on Lake Elizabeth during August 27, 2024 to evaluate young of year "YOY" (fingerling sized) Walleye numbers due to fry stocking/natural reproduction. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e., spawning…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Elizabeth Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Elizabeth (Main Lake)Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Elizabeth (Main Lake)Fish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Elizabeth (Main Lake)Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
9 ft
Surface area
1,023 acres
Shoreline
9.2 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
14 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,115 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Elizabeth Lake in Kandiyohi 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 Elizabeth Lake
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Follow Elizabeth Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Elizabeth Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Elizabeth 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: Cultural, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN34-0022-02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Kandiyohi County
Frequently asked questions about Elizabeth Lake
Where is Elizabeth Lake?
- Elizabeth Lake is a lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Elizabeth Lake?
- Elizabeth Lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 111 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 37 µg/L. Maximum depth: 9 ft. Surface area: 1023.47 acres.
Is Elizabeth Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Elizabeth Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Elizabeth Lake?
- Elizabeth Lake has a maximum depth of 9 feet. The lake covers 1023.47 acres.
What fish are in Elizabeth Lake?
- Fish species found in Elizabeth Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, largemouth bass, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, pumpkinseed, walleye, white crappie, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Elizabeth Lake is located in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Elizabeth Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 7, 2022 caught 3.67 walleye per gill net at Elizabeth Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–5 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Elizabeth Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Elizabeth Lake?
- Elizabeth Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Elizabeth Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Elizabeth Lake?
- Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA4 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory