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LakeQuality

Two Lake

NR
Not yet rated
7.5 ft clear · Mesotrophic · 516 acres
Limited DataMesotrophic

Two Lake in Lake County, Minnesota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 35 ft. Surface area: 516.11 acres.

Clarity
7.5 ft
Max depth
35 ft
Area
516 acres
Trend
Improving
Public access
No

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Why Two Lake has no grade

We grade a lake only when its monitoring record clears the evidence bar: 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 Two Lake, the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity. 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.

Two Lake is a 516-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 35 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including bluegill, cisco species, and lake whitefish. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-03. Grade methodology: LakeGrade 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

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Ely

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Water quality measurements for Two Lake

These readings exist but do not meet the evidence bar for an A–F grade — see why.

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. Trophic State Index: 48.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)7.5 ftNot graded
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)48Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Where to stay near Two Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Two 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 Two Lake

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 →

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth35 ft
Surface Area516 acres
Shoreline Length16.2 mi
Littoral Zone31%
Public AccessNo

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
42 sq mi
Elevation
1,480 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Fish Species

Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.

Fishing Two Lake

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-01 (Targeted Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Tullibee (Cisco)6.030.37 lb
White Sucker5.931.85 lb
Walleye5.921.02 lb
Northern Pike5.152.39 lb
CIS1.110.16 lb
Rock Bass0.890.27 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

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.

Tullibee (Cisco)

74 fish · 512 in · 1996-06-17
4020056789101112

White Sucker

43 fish · 621 in · 2016-06-06
84068101214161820

Walleye

31 fish · 727 in · 2016-06-06
630trophy 248101214161820222426

Northern Pike

35 fish · 1336 in · 2016-06-06
530trophy 36141618202224262830323436

From the 2025-08-01 survey

Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Lake Two on August 1st, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Whitefish, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake (Cisco, also known…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Two Lake. 1 report on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

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

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Improving+0.096 m/yr5
See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

Two 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 MN38-0608-00 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Lake County

Frequently asked questions about Two Lake

What is the water quality grade for Two Lake?

Two Lake in Lake County, Minnesota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 35 ft. Surface area: 516.11 acres.

Is Two Lake safe to swim in?

Not rated for swimming — there is not enough monitoring data to judge this lake. Two 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 Two Lake?

Two Lake has a maximum depth of 35 feet. The lake covers 516.11 acres.

What fish are in Two Lake?

Fish species found in Two Lake include bluegill, cisco species, lake whitefish, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker. Two Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.

Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

8 measurements from 5 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA8 samples · 2021–2025

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