Tess Lake is a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.

Tess Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota63 acresView map Directions

No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Minnesota PCA for this lake.

Area

63 acres

Surface area

Shoreline

2.1 mi

Measured length

Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Tess Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Surface area: 63 acres.

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Tess Lake is a 63-acre lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

No reading

Recreation use not supported

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Tess Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Tess 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.

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Water quality measurements for Tess Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Tess Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

No clarity data. TSI undefined.

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Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Surface area

63 acres

Shoreline

2.1 mi

No bathymetric survey has been published for Tess Lake, so its depth is not documented here.

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Stays near Tess Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Tess Lake in Otter Tail 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.

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Fishing Tess Lake

→ Tess Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

EPA Impairment Status

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

Causes of impairment

Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN56-0065-00 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County

Nelson Lake10 ft clear · Mesotrophic0.9 miView →Miller Lake1.4 miView →Reese Lake2 miView →Fish Lake2.6 miView →Clarno Lake2.5 miView →Crogan Lake3.1 miView →

Frequently asked questions about Tess Lake

Where is Tess Lake?: Tess Lake is a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Tess Lake?: Tess Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Surface area: 63 acres.
Is Tess Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Tess Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.