Sand Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota779 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sand Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 15 ft max depth
- Limited data
Sand Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 778.78 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 31, 2023 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Sand Lake. DNR survey details →
Sand Lake is a 779-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 15 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and hybrid sunfish. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sand Lake covers about 780 acres in St. Louis County. The median ice-out date is April 22, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Sand Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Sand Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing9 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 22
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sand Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sand 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 Sand Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sand 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 9 ft. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9ft | 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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Sand Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sand Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 74°F) and coldest in Oct (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (74°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 90 field readings (2018–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sand Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Sand Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (151,356 cells/mL) on November 29, 2025.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 31, 2023 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Sand Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-07-31 (Standard Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2023-07-31 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 15.66 | 3–8 in 2023-07-31 | 0.16 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 7.83 | 5–7 in 2023-07-31 | 0.13 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 6.62 | 5–18 in 2023-07-31 | 1.93 lb |
| Northern Pike | 5.91 | 11–36 in 2023-07-31 | 2.49 lb |
| Black Crappie | 4.49 | 4–12 in 2023-07-31 | 0.38 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.
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
Largemouth Bass
Northern Pike
From the 2023-07-31 survey
Sand Lake is a 779 acre lake located 10 miles north of Virginia. The lake was not stratified on 08/21/2023, had a temperature of 73F, a secchi visibility of 6.3 feet, and a max depth of 15 feet. The water had a green tint. Sand is highly developed and aquatic vegetation is very abundant. The Sand Lake Association…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sand Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SandFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
15 ft
Surface area
779 acres
Shoreline
6.9 mi
Littoral zone
99%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,457 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sand Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sand Lake in St. Louis 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 Sand 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 →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sand Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 22
Earliest Mar 23, 2012 · Latest May 11, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 21
Earliest Nov 5, 2003 · Latest Nov 24, 2004
Most recent ice-out
Apr 7
2024
32 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Sand 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 MN69-0736-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Sand Lake
Where is Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 778.78 acres.
Is Sand Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sand Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in October, from 90 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake has a maximum depth of 15 feet. The lake covers 778.78 acres.
What fish are in Sand Lake?
- Fish species found in Sand Lake include black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Sand Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sand Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 31, 2023 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Sand Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Sand Lake thaw?
- Sand Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 22. Ice typically forms around Nov 21. The open water season is approximately 213 days.
Does Sand Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Sand Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (151,356 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Sand Lake?
- Public access to Sand 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 Sand Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
76 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
MNPCA76 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate