Sagatagan Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota227 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sagatagan Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 42 ft max depth
- Limited data
Sagatagan Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 227.37 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2000 caught 10.17 northern pike per gill net at Sagatagan Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–27 inches. DNR survey details →
Sagatagan Lake is a 227-acre lake in Stearns County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 42 feet (9-foot average). The lake supports 1 documented fish species including largemouth bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sagatagan Lake covers about 230 acres in Stearns County. The median ice-out date is April 9, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Sagatagan Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Sagatagan Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17 ft of visibility
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 9
- Deep water42 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sagatagan Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sagatagan 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 Sagatagan Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sagatagan 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 17 ft down. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17ft | 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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Sagatagan Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2000 caught 10.17 northern pike per gill net at Sagatagan Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–27 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sagatagan 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: 2000-08-07 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2000-08-07 (Standard Survey)
26 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Bullhead | 15.00 | 6–14 in 2000-08-07 | 0.47 lb |
| Bluegill | 14.61 | 1–7 in 2000-08-07 | 0.18 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 6.48 | 2–20 in 2000-08-07 | 0.93 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.47 | 4–27 in 2000-08-07 | 1.75 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.04 | 2–8 in 2000-08-07 | 0.2 lb |
| Black Crappie | 1.60 | 5–8 in 2000-08-07 | 0.25 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.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Yellow Bullhead
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Northern Pike
From the 2000-08-07 survey
Sagatagan Lake is located in Stearns County, three miles west of St. Joseph, and entirely within the campus of St. John's University. The lake is 159 acres in size, has a mean depth of 8.9 feet and a maximum depth of 42 feet. There is no public access. It is a typical bass-panfish lake with high numbers of bass,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sagatagan Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SagataganFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Sagatagan (0287)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
42 ft
Average depth
8.9 ft
Surface area
227 acres
Shoreline
6 mi
Littoral zone
50%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,168 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sagatagan Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sagatagan Lake in Stearns 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 Sagatagan Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sagatagan Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 9
Earliest Mar 15, 2000 · Latest May 7, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 25
Earliest Nov 4, 1991 · Latest Dec 19, 2015
Most recent ice-out
May 3
2018
94 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Sagatagan 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 MN73-0092-00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Sagatagan Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Order Of Saint Benedict/St. John'S - Power PlantCollegeville · 0.5 mi away · NPDES MN0046035Recent violation
- Order Of St Benedict WwtpCollegeville · 0.8 mi away · NPDES MN0022411Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Stearns County
Frequently asked questions about Sagatagan Lake
Where is Sagatagan Lake?
- Sagatagan Lake is a lake in Stearns County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sagatagan Lake?
- Sagatagan Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 227.37 acres.
Is Sagatagan Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sagatagan Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sagatagan Lake?
- Sagatagan Lake has a maximum depth of 42 feet and an average depth of 8.9 feet. The lake covers 227.37 acres.
What fish are in Sagatagan Lake?
- Fish species found in Sagatagan Lake include largemouth bass. Sagatagan Lake is located in Stearns County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sagatagan Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2000 caught 10.17 northern pike per gill net at Sagatagan Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–27 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sagatagan 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.
When does Sagatagan Lake thaw?
- Sagatagan Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 9. Ice typically forms around Nov 25. The open water season is approximately 230 days.
Can I fish at Sagatagan Lake?
- Public access to Sagatagan Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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 Sagatagan Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
26 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
MNPCA26 samples · 2020–2025
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate