Third Lake
Chisago County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Third Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 32 ft max depth
- Limited data
Third Lake in Chisago County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility.
Third Lake is a lake in Chisago County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 32 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. 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 2020-09-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Third 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 Third Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Third 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 Third Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Third Lake typically sits around 47°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in Oct (about 47°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (47°F) to its warmest (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 46 field readings (2019–2019) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Third Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~32 ft est.
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Third Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
35 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
0.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
915 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.
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Stays near Third Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Third Lake
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Fishing Third Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-22 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-9.93 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Chisago County
Frequently asked questions about Third Lake
Where is Third Lake?
- Third Lake is a lake in Chisago County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Third Lake?
- Third Lake in Chisago County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility.
Is Third Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Third Lake?
- Third Lake typically sits around 47°F at the surface in October, from 46 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2019–2019). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Third Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Third Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 32 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Third Lake?
- Public access to Third 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 Third Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA4 samples · 2020
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder