Pulaski Lake
Wright County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Pulaski Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 99 ft max depth
- Public access
Pulaski Lake in Wright County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L.
Pulaski Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Wright County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 99 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 50 other monitored lakes in Wright County, Pulaski Lake ranks #11 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Pulaski Lake has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 13, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Pulaski Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Pulaski Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water18 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 13
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. Pulaski Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pulaski 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 Pulaski Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Pulaski 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 18 ft down. Phosphorus 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.3 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 18ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 12µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.3µg/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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Pulaski Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Pulaski Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 69°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 72°F) and coldest in May (about 62°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (62°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 86 field readings (2017–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Pulaski Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Pulaski Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (124,738 cells/mL) on May 9, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pulaski Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Public Water Access Sites — Pulaski (main bay)Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
~99 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 Pulaski Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
749 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
5.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
945 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.
Recreation & Access
- Griffing ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Pulaski Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Pulaski Lake in Wright 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 Pulaski 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 Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Pulaski Lake’s readings
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Fishing Pulaski 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
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+3.4 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 13
Earliest Apr 11, 2022 · Latest Apr 23, 2008
Most recent ice-out
Apr 11
2022
5 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Pulaski 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: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN86-0053-02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Wright County
Frequently asked questions about Pulaski Lake
Where is Pulaski Lake?
- Pulaski Lake is a lake in Wright County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pulaski Lake?
- Pulaski Lake in Wright County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L.
Is Pulaski Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pulaski Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Pulaski Lake?
- Pulaski Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 86 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Pulaski Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Pulaski Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 99 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
When does Pulaski Lake thaw?
- Pulaski Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 13.
Does Pulaski Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Pulaski Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (124,738 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Pulaski Lake?
- Pulaski Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Griffing Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Pulaski Lake?
- Pulaski 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 Pulaski Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
99 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
MNPCA99 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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