Julia Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota511 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Julia Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 43 ft max depth
- Public access
Julia Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 43 ft. Surface area: 511.26 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 3, 2024 caught 487.25 bluegill per hour of electrofishing at Julia Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–9 inches. DNR survey details →
Julia Lake is a 511-acre mesotrophic lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 43 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Beltrami County, Julia Lake ranks #31 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Julia Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 29
- Deep water43 ft surveyed max depth
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. Julia Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Julia 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 Julia Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Julia 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 9.2 ft. Phosphorus 21 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.5 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 21µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.5µg/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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Julia Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Julia Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 64°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 67°F) and coldest in May (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 (67°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 64 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Julia Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 3, 2024 caught 487.25 bluegill per hour of electrofishing at Julia Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–9 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Julia Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
11 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-06-03 (Targeted Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2024-06-03 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 66.31 | 2–9 in 2024-06-03 | 0.23 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 29.73 | 5–8 in 2023-08-14 | 0.25 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 25.25 | 10 in 2018-08-13 | 0.44 lb |
| Walleye | 9.22 | 5–29 in 2023-08-14 | 2 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 9.10 | 5–17 in 2023-08-14 | 0.92 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
Yellow Perch
Black Bullhead
Walleye
From the 2024-06-03 survey
In spring 2021, a daily bag limit reduction for sunfish (5 fish/day) was implemented on Lake Beltrami as part of the statewide Quality Sunfish Initiative (QSI). The goal of this special regulation is to maintain or improve Bluegill size structure by reducing angler harvest. In order to evaluate effectiveness of the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Julia Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — JuliaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Julia (1751)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — JuliaFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — JuliaPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
43 ft
Surface area
511 acres
Shoreline
6.1 mi
Littoral zone
33%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,348 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Julia Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Julia Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Julia Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+38.89 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-1.09 µg/L/yr3 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 29
Earliest Apr 16, 2015 · Latest May 14, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 25
Earliest Nov 22, 2006 · Latest Nov 27, 2007
Most recent ice-out
Apr 16
2016
12 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Julia Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN04-0166-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Beltrami County
Frequently asked questions about Julia Lake
Where is Julia Lake?
- Julia Lake is a lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Julia Lake?
- Julia Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 43 ft. Surface area: 511.26 acres.
Is Julia Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Julia Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Julia Lake?
- Julia Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September, from 64 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Julia Lake?
- Julia Lake has a maximum depth of 43 feet. The lake covers 511.26 acres.
What fish are in Julia Lake?
- Fish species found in Julia Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, yellow perch. Julia Lake is located in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Julia Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 3, 2024 caught 487.25 bluegill per hour of electrofishing at Julia Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–9 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Julia Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Julia Lake thaw?
- Julia Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 29. Ice typically forms around Nov 25. The open water season is approximately 210 days.
Can I fish at Julia Lake?
- Public access to Julia 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.
Explore Julia Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Beltrami County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
39 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
MNPCA39 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 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
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