Moses Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota824 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Moses Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- zebra mussel
- 32 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Moses Lake in Douglas County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 32 ft. Surface area: 823.82 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 13, 2024 caught 6.42 black crappie per trap net at Moses Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Moses Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 30 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Moses Lake is a 824-acre lake in Douglas County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 32 feet (16-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 17 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Moses Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing17 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 17
- Deep water32 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Moses Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Moses 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 Moses Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Moses 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 16.5 ft down. TSI 37.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16.5ft | 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 Moses Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Moses Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 73°F) and coldest in May (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (53°F) to its warmest (73°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 64 field readings (2019–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Moses Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 13, 2024 caught 6.42 black crappie per trap net at Moses Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Moses 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
14 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-05-13 (Targeted Survey).
14 surveys on file · most recent 2024-05-13 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 69.11 | ||
| Bluegill | 33.73 | 4–10 in 2024-05-13 | 0.2 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 23.26 | 6–18 in 2022-06-13 | 1.13 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 13.54 | 5–10 in 2022-06-13 | 0.18 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
Yellow Perch
From the 2024-05-13 survey
A targeted survey was completed in the spring of 2024 on Lake Moses to assess the Bluegill and Black Crappie populations. Bluegill catch rates were moderate, and many quality fish were observed during the survey. Twenty seven percent of the Bluegill were over 8 inches in length and the largest Bluegill observed was 10…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Moses Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MosesFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Moses (1070)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — MosesFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — MosesPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
32 ft
Average depth
16 ft
Surface area
824 acres
Shoreline
4.5 mi
Littoral zone
48%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
16 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,342 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Lake MosesPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Moses Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Moses 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 Moses Lake
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Follow Moses Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Moses 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 17
Earliest Apr 4, 2007 · Latest May 1, 2022
Typical ice-in
Dec 3
Earliest Nov 18, 2002 · Latest Dec 20, 2004
Most recent ice-out
May 1
2022
14 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Moses Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Moses Lake (completed 1937), built primarily for other on the Chippewa River-TR; other-type dam, 8 ft tall and 10 ft long.
- Surface area
- 824 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,747 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,747 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 50 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Otto, Nick;likely EWR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00757 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Moses 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 MN21-0245-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Douglas County
Frequently asked questions about Moses Lake
Where is Moses Lake?
- Moses 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 Moses Lake?
- Moses Lake in Douglas County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 32 ft. Surface area: 823.82 acres.
Is Moses Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Moses 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 Moses Lake?
- Moses Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 64 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2019–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Moses Lake?
- Moses Lake has a maximum depth of 32 feet and an average depth of 16 feet. The lake covers 823.82 acres.
What fish are in Moses Lake?
- Fish species found in Moses Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Moses Lake is located in Douglas County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Moses Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 13, 2024 caught 6.42 black crappie per trap net at Moses Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Moses 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 Moses Lake thaw?
- Moses Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 17. Ice typically forms around Dec 3. The open water season is approximately 230 days.
Are there boat ramps on Moses Lake?
- Moses Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Moses. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Moses Lake?
- Moses 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 Moses Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
44 measurements from 2 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
MNPCA44 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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
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