Miner'S Pit West Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota141 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Miner'S Pit West Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 140 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Miner'S Pit West Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 23.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 4.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 140 ft. Surface area: 141.17 acres.
Miner'S Pit West Lake is a 141-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 140 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including bluegill, brown trout, and green sunfish. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Miner'S Pit West Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water23.1 ft of visibility
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Fishing9 species recorded
- Deep water140 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Miner'S Pit West 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 Miner'S Pit West Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Miner'S Pit West 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 23.1 ft down. Phosphorus 4.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.1 µg/L. TSI 30.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 23.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 4.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.1µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 30 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Miner'S Pit West Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Miner'S Pit West Lake typically sits around 49°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 49°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 49°F) and coldest in Jul (about 49°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (49°F) to its warmest (49°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 126 field readings (2023–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Miner'S Pit West Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
140 ft
Surface area
141 acres
Shoreline
3.9 mi
Littoral zone
18%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,339 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Sandy PointPublic
- Pioneer Mine PitPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Miner'S Pit West Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Miner'S Pit West Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Miner'S Pit West Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Winton WwtfWinton · 1.9 mi away · NPDES MN0056715
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 Miner'S Pit West Lake
Where is Miner'S Pit West Lake?
- Miner'S Pit West 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 Miner'S Pit West Lake?
- Miner'S Pit West Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 23.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 4.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 140 ft. Surface area: 141.17 acres.
Is Miner'S Pit West 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 Miner'S Pit West Lake?
- Miner'S Pit West Lake typically sits around 49°F at the surface in September, from 126 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Miner'S Pit West Lake?
- Miner'S Pit West Lake has a maximum depth of 140 feet. The lake covers 141.17 acres.
What fish are in Miner'S Pit West Lake?
- Fish species found in Miner'S Pit West Lake include bluegill, brown trout, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, rock bass, smallmouth bass, white sucker. Miner'S Pit West Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Are there boat ramps on Miner'S Pit West Lake?
- Miner'S Pit West Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sandy Point, Pioneer Mine Pit. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Miner'S Pit West Lake?
- Miner'S Pit West Lake has 2 documented boat landings 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.
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA12 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory