Ward Lake
Cook County, Minnesota39 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ward Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 13 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ward Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 38.85 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 22, 2015 caught 22.00 northern pike per gill net at Ward Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–19 inches. DNR survey details →
Ward Lake is a 39-acre mesotrophic lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 13 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 2 documented fish species including northern pike and white sucker. Public access is available. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Cook County, Ward Lake ranks #26 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2021-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ward 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 Ward Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Ward 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 5.6 ft. Phosphorus 16.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.3 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 16.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Ward Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 22, 2015 caught 22.00 northern pike per gill net at Ward Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–19 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ward Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2015-06-22 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2015-06-22 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Pike | 10.89 | 2–19 in 2015-06-22 | 0.82 lb |
| Fathead Minnow | 4.97 | ||
| White Sucker | 1.02 | 8–22 in 2015-06-22 | 2.61 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.
Northern Pike
White Sucker
From the 2015-06-22 survey
Northern pike were very abundant in 2015, but also very small, with no fish larger than 20 inches taken. Both results were typical for this lake, which has long been known to support high numbers of small fish. The small size of the northern pike in Ward Lake was due mainly to their slow growth rates. Fish as old as…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ward Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WardFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WardPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
13 ft
Surface area
39 acres
Shoreline
1.2 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,470 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
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Stays near Ward Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Ward Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Ward Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.44 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.4 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Ward Lake
Where is Ward Lake?
- Ward Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ward Lake?
- Ward Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 38.85 acres.
Is Ward Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ward Lake?
- Ward Lake has a maximum depth of 13 feet. The lake covers 38.85 acres.
What fish are in Ward Lake?
- Fish species found in Ward Lake include northern pike, white sucker. Ward Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ward Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 22, 2015 caught 22.00 northern pike per gill net at Ward Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–19 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ward Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Ward Lake?
- Public access to Ward Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Ward Lake across LakeQuality
5.1 mi away · 30 ft
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA12 samples · 2021
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder