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LakeQuality

Seed Lake

NR
Not yet rated
7 ft clear · Mesotrophic
Limited DataMesotrophic

Seed Lake in Unknown County, Minnesota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility.

Clarity
7 ft
Max depth
~20 ft est.
Trend
Stable
Public access
No

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Why Seed Lake has no grade

We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Seed Lake, no EPA ecoregion for this lake, so the National Lakes Assessment condition thresholds cannot be applied. Sampling here has recorded water clarity, but not phosphorus and algae (chlorophyll-a).

Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.

Sampling is run by MPCA and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.

Seed Lake is a lake in Unknown County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 20 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-07-09. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

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Swimming Safety

Not rated

Limited data

Not rated for swimming — there is not enough monitoring data to judge this lake

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Water quality measurements for Seed Lake

These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft. Trophic State Index: 49.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)7 ftNot graded
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)49Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Where to stay near Seed Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Seed Lake in Unknown 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 Seed Lake

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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~20 ft est.
Average Depth~15 ft est.
Public AccessNo

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Seed Lake.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
1,000 sq mi
Surface area
49 acres
Shoreline
1.5 mi
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.

Fishing Seed Lake

Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Stable+0.003 m/yr5
See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

Seed Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN38-0491-00 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (2 km)

Nearby Lakes in Unknown County

Frequently asked questions about Seed Lake

Where is Seed Lake?

Seed Lake is a lake in Unknown County, Minnesota. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — there is not enough recent sampling to assign a letter.

What is the water quality grade for Seed Lake?

Seed Lake in Unknown County, Minnesota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility.

Is Seed Lake safe to swim in?

Not rated for swimming — there is not enough monitoring data to judge this lake. Seed Lake is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

How deep is Seed Lake?

No published bathymetric survey covers Seed Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 20 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

22 measurements from 5 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 WaterMNPCA22 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (5)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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