Pequaywan Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota425 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Pequaywan Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 33 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Pequaywan Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 33 ft. Surface area: 424.51 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 8, 1991 caught 14.40 walleye per gill net at Pequaywan Lake. DNR survey details →
Pequaywan Lake is a 425-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 33 feet (15-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Pequaywan Lake covers about 420 acres in St. Louis County. The median ice-out date is April 30, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Pequaywan Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Pequaywan Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 30
- Deep water33 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pequaywan Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pequaywan 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 Pequaywan Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Pequaywan Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.5 ft. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.5ft | 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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Pequaywan Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Pequaywan Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 66°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 69°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (69°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 40 field readings (2018–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Pequaywan Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 8, 1991 caught 14.40 walleye per gill net at Pequaywan Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pequaywan Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1991-08-08 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1991-08-08 (Standard Survey)
35 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 15.38 | 0.23 lb | |
| Rock Bass | 8.88 | 0.27 lb | |
| Walleye | 8.27 | 0.9 lb | |
| White Sucker | 4.24 | 1.69 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 1.73 | 2.52 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 0.71 | 0.08 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.
From the 1991-08-08 survey
WAE AND YEP ABUNDANCE ARE ABOVE THIRD QUARTILE FOR SCHUPP LAKE CLASS 10 ALTHOUGH WITHIN THE RANGE OF HISTORIC DATA. BOTH SPECIES ARE WELL REPRESENTED IN AGES I THRU VI WITH GROWTH TYPICAL FOR DULUTH AREA LAKES. RKB ABUNDANCE IN TRAPNETS IS WELL ABOVE THE 3RD QUARTILE AND OVER TWICE THE PREVIOUS (1978) HIGH AND…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pequaywan Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PequaywanFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Pequaywan (0501)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
33 ft
Average depth
15.1 ft
Surface area
425 acres
Shoreline
6.5 mi
Littoral zone
57%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
55 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,473 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Pequaywan Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Pequaywan Lake in St. Louis 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 Pequaywan Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Pequaywan Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 30
Earliest Apr 26, 2007 · Latest May 8, 2022
Most recent ice-out
May 8
2022
6 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Pequaywan 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 MN69-0011-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Pequaywan Lake
Where is Pequaywan Lake?
- Pequaywan 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 Pequaywan Lake?
- Pequaywan Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 33 ft. Surface area: 424.51 acres.
Is Pequaywan Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pequaywan Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Pequaywan Lake?
- Pequaywan Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September, from 40 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Pequaywan Lake?
- Pequaywan Lake has a maximum depth of 33 feet and an average depth of 15.1 feet. The lake covers 424.51 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Pequaywan Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 8, 1991 caught 14.40 walleye per gill net at Pequaywan Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pequaywan Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Pequaywan Lake thaw?
- Pequaywan Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 30.
Can I fish at Pequaywan Lake?
- Public access to Pequaywan Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Pequaywan Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
28 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA28 samples · 2020–2024
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate