Eugene Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota181 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Eugene Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 64 ft max depth
- Limited data
Eugene Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 64 ft. Surface area: 181.35 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 6, 2016 caught 3.67 northern pike per gill net at Eugene Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–25 inches. DNR survey details →
Eugene Lake is a 181-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 64 feet (33-foot average). The lake supports 8 documented fish species including green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, and lake whitefish. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-08-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Eugene Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing8 species recorded
- Deep water64 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Eugene Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Eugene 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 Eugene Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Eugene 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 11.5 ft. Chlorophyll-a 4.4 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.4µg/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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Eugene Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 6, 2016 caught 3.67 northern pike per gill net at Eugene Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Eugene Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. 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: 2025-07-30 (Targeted Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-30 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 7.70 | 2–6 in 2016-09-06 | 0.06 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.56 | 15–25 in 2016-09-06 | 1.77 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 2.08 | 1–6 in 2016-09-06 | 0.05 lb |
| White Sucker | 1.58 | 11–19 in 2016-09-06 | 2.17 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 1.25 | 3–4 in 2016-09-06 | 0.04 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.
Yellow Perch
Northern Pike
Hybrid Sunfish
White Sucker
From the 2025-07-30 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Eugene Lake on July 30th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Whitefish, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake. During the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Eugene Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — EugeneFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
64 ft
Average depth
33 ft
Surface area
181 acres
Shoreline
4.7 mi
Littoral zone
28%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,260 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Eugene Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Eugene Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Eugene Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Eugene 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 MN69-0473-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Eugene Lake
Where is Eugene Lake?
- Eugene Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Eugene Lake?
- Eugene Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 64 ft. Surface area: 181.35 acres.
Is Eugene Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Eugene Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Eugene Lake?
- Eugene Lake has a maximum depth of 64 feet and an average depth of 33 feet. The lake covers 181.35 acres.
What fish are in Eugene Lake?
- Fish species found in Eugene Lake include green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, white sucker, yellow perch. Eugene Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Eugene Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 6, 2016 caught 3.67 northern pike per gill net at Eugene Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–25 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Eugene Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Eugene Lake?
- Public access to Eugene 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.
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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
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- 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