Sandpit Lake
Lake County, Minnesota61 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sandpit Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 53 ft max depth
- Limited data
Sandpit Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 53 ft. Surface area: 60.67 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 1, 2016 caught 0.25 walleye per gill net at Sandpit Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–20 inches. DNR survey details →
Sandpit Lake is a 61-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 53 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including bluegill, northern pike, and rock bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-05-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Sandpit Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14 ft of visibility
- Fishing7 species recorded
- Deep water53 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sandpit Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sandpit 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 Sandpit Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sandpit 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 14 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14ft | 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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Sandpit Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 1, 2016 caught 0.25 walleye per gill net at Sandpit Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–20 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sandpit 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
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2016-08-01 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2016-08-01 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Pike | 4.50 | 18–30 in 2016-08-01 | 2.88 lb |
| Rock Bass | 2.30 | 5–6 in 2016-08-01 | 0.2 lb |
| Bluegill | 1.90 | 4 in 2016-08-01 | 0.11 lb |
| White Sucker | 1.35 | 7–14 in 2016-08-01 | 0.51 lb |
| Black Crappie | 0.75 | 0.46 lb | |
| Walleye | 0.63 | 20 in 2016-08-01 | 2.5 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.
Northern Pike
Rock Bass
Bluegill
White Sucker
From the 2016-08-01 survey
Sandpit Lake is located within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) within the Superior National Forest and is a non-motorized lake. It is approximately 10 miles northeast of Ely. There are three portage accesses to the lake consisting of an 80 rod portage from Mudro Lake, a 130 rod portage from Tin Can…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sandpit Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SandpitFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
53 ft
Surface area
61 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Littoral zone
29%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,312 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sandpit Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sandpit Lake in Lake 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 Sandpit Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sandpit Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Sandpit 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: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN38-0786-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Sandpit Lake
Where is Sandpit Lake?
- Sandpit Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sandpit Lake?
- Sandpit Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 53 ft. Surface area: 60.67 acres.
Is Sandpit Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sandpit Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sandpit Lake?
- Sandpit Lake has a maximum depth of 53 feet. The lake covers 60.67 acres.
What fish are in Sandpit Lake?
- Fish species found in Sandpit Lake include bluegill, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Sandpit Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sandpit Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 1, 2016 caught 0.25 walleye per gill net at Sandpit Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–20 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sandpit 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.
Can I fish at Sandpit Lake?
- Public access to Sandpit 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.
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Where this data comes from
24 measurements from 4 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
MNPCA24 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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