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LakeQuality

Gould Lake

Cass County, MinnesotaView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Gould Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
5 ft
Typical for Minnesota
Secchi · sampled 2022
Phosphorus
13.5 µg/L
Less phosphorus than most
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Chlorophyll-a
1.9 µg/L
Less algae than most
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Water temp
~54°F
Typical for Oct · EPA WQP
Max depth
~31 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Type
Mesotrophic
Trophic class
  • Mesotrophic
  • 31 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Gould Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.9 µg/L.

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Gould Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Cass County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 31 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 103 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Gould Lake ranks #93 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-10-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited data

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 Gould 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.

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Water quality measurements for Gould Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Gould Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Murky, only visible to about 5 ft. Phosphorus 13.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.9 µg/L. TSI 44.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)5ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus13.5µg/LGood
GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)1.9µg/LGood
GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.44Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Gould Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Water Temperature

Gould Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in Oct (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
63°
May
72°
Jun
76°
Jul
73°
Aug
73°
Sep
54°
Oct
Nov
Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (76°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 57 field readings (2022–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Gould Lake water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

Max depth

~31 ft est.

Public access

No

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Gould Lake.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

0 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Surface area

99 acres

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

1.6 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,289 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Gould Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Gould Lake in Cass 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 Gould Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →

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Fishing Gould Lake

Nearby Lakes in Cass County

Frequently asked questions about Gould Lake

Where is Gould Lake?

Gould Lake is a lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Gould Lake?

Gould Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.9 µg/L.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Gould Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

What is the water temperature of Gould Lake?

Gould Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in October, from 57 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

Temp on this page ↑

How deep is Gould Lake?

No published bathymetric survey covers Gould Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

Can I fish at Gould Lake?

Public access to Gould 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.

Where this data comes from

44 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Leech Lake Band of OjibweLEECHLAK_WQX44 samples · 2022

Analytical methods

  • Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
  • 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
  • Nitrate-Nitrite Nitrogen by Colorimetry
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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder