Square Lake
Lake County, Minnesota123 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Square Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 7 ft max depth
- Limited data
Square Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 7 ft. Surface area: 122.68 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 10.00 walleye per gill net at Square Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–23 inches. DNR survey details →
Square Lake is a 123-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 7 feet. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including green sunfish, 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 2024-07-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Square Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing7 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Square Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Square 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 Square Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Square 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 5.5 ft. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.5ft | 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. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Square Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 10.00 walleye per gill net at Square Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–23 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Square Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2015-07-27 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2015-07-27 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 13.46 | 8–20 in 2015-07-27 | 1.92 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 11.74 | 5–9 in 2015-07-27 | 0.18 lb |
| Walleye | 10.12 | 6–23 in 2015-07-27 | 0.99 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.86 | 8–17 in 2015-07-27 | 0.95 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 1.33 | 13–17 in 2015-07-27 | 1.57 lb |
| Rock Bass | 0.96 | 4–7 in 2015-07-27 | 0.21 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.
White Sucker
Yellow Perch
Walleye
Northern Pike
From the 2015-07-27 survey
Square Lake has an area of 122 acres, and a maximum depth of 7 feet. Square Lake is within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) approximately 2.5 miles by canoe from the Kawishiwi Lake access point via Kawishiwi Lake and the Kawishiwi River. Square Lake is part of the popular non-motorized canoe route…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Square Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SquareFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
7 ft
Surface area
123 acres
Shoreline
3.3 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,640 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Square Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Square 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 Square Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Square Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Square 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 MN38-0074-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Square Lake
Where is Square Lake?
- Square 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 Square Lake?
- Square Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 7 ft. Surface area: 122.68 acres.
Is Square Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Square Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Square Lake?
- Square Lake has a maximum depth of 7 feet. The lake covers 122.68 acres.
What fish are in Square Lake?
- Fish species found in Square Lake include green sunfish, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Square Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Square Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 10.00 walleye per gill net at Square Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–23 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Square Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Square Lake?
- Public access to Square 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 Square Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA1 sample · 2024
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder