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LakeQuality

Round Lake

Otter Tail County, MinnesotaView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Round Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
4.3 ft
Typical for Minnesota
Secchi · sampled 2023
Phosphorus
7 µg/L
Less phosphorus than most
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Chlorophyll-a
14.6 µg/L
Typical for Minnesota
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Max depth
~37 ft est.
GLOBathy model
  • 37 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Round Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.6 µg/L.

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Round Lake is a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 37 feet. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including black bullhead, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-08-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Round Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Fishing7 species recorded

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

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.

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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.

Murky, only visible to about 4.3 ft. Phosphorus 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 14.6 µg/L. TSI 48.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)4.3ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus7µg/LMeasured, not scored

The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential.

Chlorophyll-a (algae)14.6µg/LMeasured, not scored

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.48Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Round Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Max depth

~37 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 Round Lake.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

2 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Surface area

77 acres

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

1.6 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,371 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.

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Stays near Round Lake

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Fish Species

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Round Lake

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: 4.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.6 µg/L.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Round Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Round Lake?

No published bathymetric survey covers Round Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 37 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

What fish are in Round Lake?

Fish species found in Round Lake include black bullhead, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, walleye. Round Lake is located in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.

Fish on this page ↑

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.

Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA4 samples · 2023

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
  • 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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