Heikkilla Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota130 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Heikkilla Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 7 ft max depth
Heikkilla Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 7 ft. Surface area: 129.6 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 22, 2019 caught 11.00 northern pike per gill net at Heikkilla Lake. DNR survey details →
Heikkilla Lake is a 130-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 7 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including black bullhead, brown bullhead, and northern pike. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in St. Louis County, Heikkilla Lake ranks #55 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Heikkilla Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 21
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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 Heikkilla 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 Heikkilla Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Heikkilla 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 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13.6 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 24µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13.6µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Heikkilla Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Heikkilla Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 72°F) and coldest in Sep (about 57°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (57°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 39 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Heikkilla Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 22, 2019 caught 11.00 northern pike per gill net at Heikkilla Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Heikkilla Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2019-07-22 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 2019-07-22 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkinseed | 105.00 | ||
| Yellow Perch | 69.28 | 1–11 in 2019-07-22 | 0.32 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 61.80 | 6 in 2019-07-22 | 0.08 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 48.09 | 4–7 in 2019-07-22 | 0.06 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
Golden Shiner
Black Bullhead
From the 2019-07-22 survey
Heikkilla Lake is located approximately 1.5 miles SE of Embarrass within the Superior National Forest. This shallow lake is surrounded by private land and no public access is present. The 2019 survey of Heikkilla Lake represents the first time this lake has been sampled by DNR Fisheries. Black bullheads dominated the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Heikkilla Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HeikkillaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
7 ft
Surface area
130 acres
Shoreline
2.3 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,434 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Heikkilla Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Heikkilla Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Heikkilla Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-4.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-13.4 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 21
Earliest Apr 5, 2021 · Latest May 7, 2014
Most recent ice-out
May 3
2023
6 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Heikkilla Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Ltv Steel/Ltv Corp-TailingsHoyt Lakes · 3.3 mi away · NPDES MN0054089
- Poly Met Mining, Inc.Hoyt Lakes · 3.7 mi away · NPDES MN0071013
- Hoyt Lakes Mining AreaHoyt Lakes · 3.8 mi away · NPDES MN0042536
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Heikkilla Lake
Where is Heikkilla Lake?
- Heikkilla 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 Heikkilla Lake?
- Heikkilla Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 7 ft. Surface area: 129.6 acres.
Is Heikkilla Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Heikkilla Lake?
- Heikkilla Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in September, from 39 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Heikkilla Lake?
- Heikkilla Lake has a maximum depth of 7 feet. The lake covers 129.6 acres.
What fish are in Heikkilla Lake?
- Fish species found in Heikkilla Lake include black bullhead, brown bullhead, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, yellow perch. Heikkilla Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Heikkilla Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 22, 2019 caught 11.00 northern pike per gill net at Heikkilla Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Heikkilla Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Heikkilla Lake thaw?
- Heikkilla Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 21.
Can I fish at Heikkilla Lake?
- Public access to Heikkilla 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
59 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA59 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate