Laura Lake
Redwood County, Minnesota22 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Laura Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 21 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Laura Lake in Redwood County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 22.24 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 27, 2012 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Laura Lake. DNR survey details →
Laura Lake is a 22-acre lake in Redwood County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 21 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Laura Lake covers about 22 acres in Redwood County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Laura Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Laura Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing13 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Laura 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 Laura Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Laura 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 ft of visibility. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2ft | 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) | No reading 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 Laura Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Laura Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in May (about 60°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (60°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 31 field readings (2017–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Laura Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 27, 2012 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Laura Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Laura 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
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2012-08-27 (Standard Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2012-08-27 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 40.84 | 8–9 in 2012-08-27 | 0.27 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 24.04 | 5–7 in 2012-08-27 | 0.16 lb |
| Black Crappie | 17.01 | 4–8 in 2012-08-27 | 0.15 lb |
| Bluegill | 8.44 | 3–7 in 2012-08-27 | 0.23 lb |
| White Sucker | 8.13 | 12–15 in 2012-08-27 | 0.98 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 4.08 | 4–19 in 2012-08-27 | 0.62 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.
Black Bullhead
Yellow Perch
Black Crappie
Bluegill
From the 2012-08-27 survey
INTRODUCTION Laura Lake is a 22-acre reservoir 1 mile southwest of Walnut Grove in Redwood County. The reservoir has a maximum depth of 21 feet, a shoreline length of 1.8 miles, and is a DNR class 33 lake based on physical and chemical characteristics. Laura Lake has shoreline access through a Redwood County Park.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Laura Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — LauraFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — LauraFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — LauraPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
21 ft
Surface area
22 acres
Shoreline
1.7 mi
Littoral zone
72%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Laura Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Laura Lake in Redwood 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 Laura Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Laura Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Laura Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Walnut Grove (completed 1979), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Plum Creek-TR; earth-type dam, 57 ft tall and 1,275 ft long.
- Surface area
- 22 ac
- Normal storage
- 231 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,288 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- County of Redwood
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00728 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.25 km)
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Laura Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Walnut GroveWalnut Grove · 2.4 mi away · NPDES MN0021776
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 Redwood County
Frequently asked questions about Laura Lake
Where is Laura Lake?
- Laura Lake is a lake in Redwood County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Laura Lake?
- Laura Lake in Redwood County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 22.24 acres.
Is Laura 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 Laura Lake?
- Laura Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 31 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Laura Lake?
- Laura Lake has a maximum depth of 21 feet. The lake covers 22.24 acres.
What fish are in Laura Lake?
- Fish species found in Laura Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, pumpkinseed, white crappie, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Laura Lake is located in Redwood County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Laura Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 27, 2012 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Laura Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Laura 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.
Can I fish at Laura Lake?
- Public access to Laura 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 Laura Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
288 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA288 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder