Mina Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota411 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Mina Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- zebra mussel
- 123 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Mina Lake in Douglas County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 123 ft. Surface area: 411.41 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 11, 2023 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Mina Lake. DNR survey details →
Mina Lake is a 411-acre lake in Douglas County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 123 feet (28-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 18 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Mina Lake covers about 410 acres in Douglas County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 20, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Mina Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Mina Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing18 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 20
- Deep water123 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Mina Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Mina 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 Mina Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Mina Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down. TSI 37.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16ft | 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. | 37 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Mina Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Mina Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in Jun (about 71°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (71°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 12 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Mina Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Mina Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (124,738 cells/mL) on November 8, 2025.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 11, 2023 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Mina Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mina Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-07-11 (Targeted Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2023-07-11 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 26.98 | 3–7 in 2023-07-11 | 0.19 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 14.75 | 5–15 in 2023-07-11 | 0.61 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
Largemouth Bass
From the 2023-07-11 survey
A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Mina Lake was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff from 11-13 July 2023. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot or 50-foot seine, where…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mina Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MinaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — MinaFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — MinaPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
123 ft
Average depth
28 ft
Surface area
411 acres
Shoreline
6.9 mi
Littoral zone
38%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,355 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Mina LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Mina Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Mina Lake in Douglas 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 Mina 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 →
Follow Mina Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Mina Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 20
Earliest Mar 16, 2024 · Latest Apr 28, 2022
Most recent ice-out
Mar 16
2024
7 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Mina Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN21-0108-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Douglas County
Frequently asked questions about Mina Lake
Where is Mina Lake?
- Mina Lake is a lake in Douglas County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Mina Lake?
- Mina Lake in Douglas County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 123 ft. Surface area: 411.41 acres.
Is Mina Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Mina Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Mina Lake?
- Mina Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in August, from 12 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Mina Lake?
- Mina Lake has a maximum depth of 123 feet and an average depth of 28 feet. The lake covers 411.41 acres.
What fish are in Mina Lake?
- Fish species found in Mina Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Mina Lake is located in Douglas County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Mina Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 11, 2023 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Mina Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mina Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Mina Lake thaw?
- Mina Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 20.
Does Mina Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Mina Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (124,738 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Mina Lake?
- Mina Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Mina Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Mina Lake?
- Mina Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Mina Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
60 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
MNPCA60 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate