Titlow Lake
Sibley County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Titlow Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 46 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Titlow Lake in Sibley County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 343 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 118 µg/L.
Titlow Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Sibley County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 46 feet. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and common carp. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Sibley County, Titlow Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Titlow Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing8 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Titlow Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Titlow 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 Titlow Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Titlow Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 0.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 343 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 118 µg/L. TSI 86.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 343µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 118µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 86 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Titlow Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Titlow Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 81°F) and coldest in Sep (about 70°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (70°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 8 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Titlow Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~46 ft est.
Public access
Yes
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 Titlow Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
29 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
875 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
9.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
968 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.
Recreation & Access
- Titlow LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Titlow Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Titlow Lake in Sibley 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Titlow Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Titlow Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Titlow Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Titlow Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Titlow Lake (completed 1920), built primarily for recreation on the Rush River; gravity-type dam, 9 ft tall and 45 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 2,772 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,500 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 54.8 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- City of Gaylord
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00105 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Titlow 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: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN72-0042-00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Titlow Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Gaylord/Milton G. Waldbaum CoGaylord · 1 mi away · NPDES MN0060798
- GaylordGaylord · 1.9 mi away · NPDES MN0051209
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Sibley County
Frequently asked questions about Titlow Lake
Where is Titlow Lake?
- Titlow Lake is a lake in Sibley County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Titlow Lake?
- Titlow Lake in Sibley County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 343 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 118 µg/L.
Is Titlow Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Titlow Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Titlow Lake?
- Titlow Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 8 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Titlow Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Titlow Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 46 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
What fish are in Titlow Lake?
- Fish species found in Titlow Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, northern pike, shortnose gar, smallmouth buffalo, white sucker. Titlow Lake is located in Sibley County, Minnesota.
Are there boat ramps on Titlow Lake?
- Titlow Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Titlow Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Titlow Lake?
- Titlow Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Titlow Lake across LakeQuality
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Sibley County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
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Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Other Lakes in Minnesota
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA12 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory