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LakeQuality

Little Lake Inlet

Cook County, MinnesotaView mapDirections

No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Minnesota PCA for this lake.

Water temp
~56°F
Typical for Oct · EPA WQP
Trend
Worsening
5 years of samples
  • 6 aquatic invasives
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Little Lake Inlet in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported.

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Little Lake Inlet is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

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

Whether Little Lake Inlet 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 Little Lake Inlet

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

No clarity data.

Ask about Little Lake Inlet

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

Water Temperature

Little Lake Inlet typically sits around 56°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 57°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 64°F) and coldest in Jun (about 46°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
52°
May
46°
Jun
64°
Jul
62°
Aug
62°
Sep
56°
Oct
Nov
Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (46°F) to its warmest (64°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 84 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Little Lake Inlet water temperature breakdown →

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Lake Inlet. 2 reports on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Little Lake Inlet

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Little Lake Inlet in Cook 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 Little Lake Inlet

Prices for Oct 16–18, 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.

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Follow Little Lake Inlet’s readings

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Fishing Little Lake Inlet

Invasive & Introduced Species

Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.

Eurasian watermilfoilNew Zealand mud snailVHSfaucet snailround gobyruffespiny waterfleawhite perchzebra mussel

Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).

  • Water clarity

    Worsening

    4 years

  • Phosphorus

    Worsening

    +2.28 µg/L/yr2 years

  • Chlorophyll-a

    Worsening

    +0.1 µg/L/yr3 years

See year-by-year chart →

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Little Lake Inlet under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.

  • Grand Portage Wastewater Stabilization Lagoon
    Grand Portage · 1.4 mi away · NPDES MN0025887
    Recent violation

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 Cook County

Frequently asked questions about Little Lake Inlet

Where is Little Lake Inlet?

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

What is the water quality of Little Lake Inlet?

Little Lake Inlet in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Little Lake Inlet 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 Little Lake Inlet?

Little Lake Inlet typically sits around 56°F at the surface in October, from 84 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

Temp on this page ↑

Can I fish at Little Lake Inlet?

Public access to Little Lake Inlet 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.

Where this data comes from

7 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Grand Portage ReservationGPC5_WQX5 samples · 2022–2024
  • 21GPBCH - Grand Portage Beaches (Tribal)21GPBCH2 samples · 2020

Analytical methods

  • Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)

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)