Newfound Lake
Lake County, Minnesota643 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Newfound Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 45 ft max depth
- Limited data
Newfound Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 642.76 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 12, 2024 caught 7.89 walleye per gill net at Newfound Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–29 inches. DNR survey details →
Newfound Lake is a 643-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 45 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and cisco species. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-07-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Newfound Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.8 ft of visibility
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Deep water45 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Newfound Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Newfound 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 Newfound Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Newfound 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 12.8 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.8ft | 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. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Newfound Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 12, 2024 caught 7.89 walleye per gill net at Newfound Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–29 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Newfound 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: 2025-08-07 (Targeted Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-07 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 27.31 | 6–15 in 2024-08-12 | 0.37 lb |
| Walleye | 4.93 | 10–29 in 2024-08-12 | 1.86 lb |
| White Sucker | 3.80 | 10–24 in 2024-08-12 | 3.65 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.53 | 14–36 in 2024-08-12 | 3.21 lb |
| Rock Bass | 2.01 | 4–7 in 2024-08-12 | 0.19 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.
Tullibee (Cisco)
Walleye
White Sucker
Northern Pike
From the 2025-08-07 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Newfound Lake on August 7th, 2025. This was done to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Whitefish, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Newfound Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — NewfoundFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
45 ft
Surface area
643 acres
Shoreline
14.9 mi
Littoral zone
19%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Newfound Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Newfound Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Newfound Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN38-0619-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Newfound Lake
Where is Newfound Lake?
- Newfound Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Newfound Lake?
- Newfound Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 642.76 acres.
Is Newfound Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Newfound Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Newfound Lake?
- Newfound Lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet. The lake covers 642.76 acres.
What fish are in Newfound Lake?
- Fish species found in Newfound Lake include black crappie, bluegill, cisco species, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Newfound Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Newfound Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 12, 2024 caught 7.89 walleye per gill net at Newfound Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–29 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Newfound 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.
Can I fish at Newfound Lake?
- Public access to Newfound Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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 Newfound Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
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Fish species and best lakes in Lake County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
73 measurements from 19 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
MNPCA73 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (19)
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-100
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-221
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-215
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-211
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-202
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-218
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-217
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-219
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-206
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-213
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-205
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-208
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-216
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-214
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-204
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-201
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-220
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-212
- MNPCA-38-0619-00-210
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder