Where is Minerva Lake?

Minerva Lake is a lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water temperature of Minerva Lake?

Minerva Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 18 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Minerva Lake?

Minerva Lake has a maximum depth of 26 feet. The lake covers 222 acres.

Can I fish at Minerva Lake?

Public access to Minerva Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Wisconsin's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.

Minerva Lake

Burnett County, Wisconsin222 acresView map Directions

Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Minerva Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity

10.5 ft

Typical for Wisconsin

Secchi · sampled 2026

Phosphorus

15.9 µg/L

Typical for Wisconsin

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Water temp

~66°F

Typical for Sep · EPA WQP

Max depth

26 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

222 acres

Surface area

Type

Mesotrophic

Trophic class

Mesotrophic
Curly-Leaf Pondweed
26 ft max depth
Public access

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Minerva Lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 26 ft. Surface area: 222 acres.

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Minerva Lake. DNR survey details →

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Minerva Lake is a 222-acre mesotrophic lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 26 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including Panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass. Public access is available. Compared to the 29 other monitored lakes in Burnett County, Minerva Lake ranks #11 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Minerva Lake covers about 220 acres in Burnett County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Minerva Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.

What Minerva Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
Fishing5 species recorded

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Low 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. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Minerva Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.

Compare swimming lakes near Hayward →

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Water quality measurements for Minerva Lake

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

Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft. Phosphorus 15.9 µg/L. TSI 44.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	10.5ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	15.9µg/L	Good GoodFairPoor
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.	44	Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Minerva Lake

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

Water Temperature

Minerva Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in May (about 66°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

66°

May

71°

Jun

78°

Jul

75°

Aug

66°

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (66°F) to its warmest (78°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 18 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Minerva Lake water temperature breakdown →

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Minerva Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Minerva Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

WI DNR Lake Profile

Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. Monitored by volunteers since 1995. 3 stations on file (most recent sample 2025).

DNR Assessment

Good · Deep Lowland lake

Trophic State Index 47 (mesotrophic) · 5-year average

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Panfish(Common)Largemouth Bass(Common)Smallmouth Bass(Present)Northern Pike(Present)Walleye(Present)

Full WI DNR LakePage →Water quality stations →

Lake Details

Max depth

26 ft

Surface area

222 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Minerva Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Minerva Lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin — 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 Minerva 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 Wisconsin’s top lakes →

Follow Minerva Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

Panfish Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Northern Pike Walleye

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Minerva 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.

Chinese Mystery SnailCurly-Leaf Pondweed

Water Quality Trend: Improving

Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).

Water clarity
Stable
6 years
Phosphorus
Improving
-0.32 µg/L/yr7 years

See year-by-year chart →

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Minerva Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Minerva (completed 1937), built primarily for recreation on the LOON CREEK; gravity-type dam, 14 ft tall and 70 ft long.

Surface area: 245 ac
Normal storage: 2,000 ac-ft
Max storage: 3,000 ac-ft
Drainage area: 43 sq mi
Hazard class: Low
Owner: Burnett County

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WI00242 · Operator website

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Minerva Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.

Joint Water Quality Commission
Swiss, Town Of · 1.9 mi away · NPDES WI0063797

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 Burnett County

Cranberry Lake8.8 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Falk Lake10 ft clear—View →Love Lake11 ft clear—View →Gull Lake8 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Minnow Lake—View →Hayden Lake—View →

Frequently asked questions about Minerva Lake

Where is Minerva Lake?: Minerva Lake is a lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Minerva Lake?: Minerva Lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 26 ft. Surface area: 222 acres.
Is Minerva 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 Minerva Lake?: Minerva Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 18 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Minerva Lake?: Minerva Lake has a maximum depth of 26 feet. The lake covers 222 acres.
What fish are in Minerva Lake?: Fish species found in Minerva Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Minerva Lake is located in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Minerva Lake?: Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Minerva Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Minerva Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Minerva Lake?: Public access to Minerva Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Wisconsin's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.

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Mesotrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

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Where this data comes from

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

Collected and reported by

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX54 samples · 2020–2026

Analytical methods

Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Turbidity in Water

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.