Round Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota158 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Round Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 24 ft max depth
- Public access
Round Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 157.63 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 12, 1991 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Round Lake. DNR survey details →
Round Lake is a 158-acre mesotrophic lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 24 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 65 other monitored lakes in Otter Tail County, Round Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Round Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.2 ft of visibility
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 Round 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 Round Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Round 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 11.2 ft. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.8 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 19µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.8µg/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 Round Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 12, 1991 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Round Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Round Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1991-08-12 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1991-08-12 (Standard Survey)
35 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkinseed | 89.29 | 0.07 lb | |
| Black Bullhead | 41.15 | 0.21 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 39.79 | 0.09 lb | |
| Bluegill | 35.70 | 0.13 lb | |
| Green Sunfish | 20.34 | 0.09 lb | |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 9.70 | 0.11 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 1991-08-12 survey
Round lake is in class 38 of the MN DNR lake classification system. Other area lakes included in this class are: Block, Buchanan, Elbow, and Sand. Northern pike were not represented in the gill net sample. Pike gill net CPUE in the 1975 survey was 2.5 per net. Black bullhead abundance declined from 118.0 per gill net…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Round Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RoundFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — RoundFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
24 ft
Surface area
158 acres
Shoreline
2 mi
Littoral zone
81%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,316 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Round Lake
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Fishing Round Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.33 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.3 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Round Lake
Where is Round Lake?
- Round Lake is a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Round Lake?
- Round Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 157.63 acres.
Is Round Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Round Lake?
- Round Lake has a maximum depth of 24 feet. The lake covers 157.63 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Round Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 12, 1991 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Round Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Round Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Round Lake?
- Public access to Round 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.
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Where this data comes from
64 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA64 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 (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