Pine Lake
Becker County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Pine Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 45 ft max depth
- Public access
Pine Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.4 µg/L.
Pine Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Becker County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 45 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 83 other monitored lakes in Becker County, Pine Lake ranks #24 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow 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 Pine 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 Pine Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Pine 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 8.9 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.4 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.4µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Pine Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Pine Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in May (about 58°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (58°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 36 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Pine Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~45 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Pine Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
497 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,457 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Pine Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Pine Lake in Becker 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 Pine Lake
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Fishing Pine Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2022–2025).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.5 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Becker County
Frequently asked questions about Pine Lake
Where is Pine Lake?
- Pine Lake is a lake in Becker County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pine Lake?
- Pine Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.4 µg/L.
Is Pine 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 Pine Lake?
- Pine Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 36 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Pine Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Pine Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 45 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Pine Lake?
- Public access to Pine 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 Pine Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
55 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA55 samples · 2022–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity, Nephelometric 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder