Winter Lake
Becker County, Minnesota117 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Winter Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 50 ft max depth
- Public access
Winter Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11.6 µg/L. Surface area: 116.72 acres.
Winter Lake is a 117-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Becker County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 50 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 83 other monitored lakes in Becker County, Winter Lake ranks #72 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Winter Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing6 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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 Winter 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 Winter Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Winter Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft. Phosphorus 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 11.6 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 22µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 11.6µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Winter Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Winter Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in Sep (about 66°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (66°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 25 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Winter Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~50 ft est.
Surface area
117 acres
Shoreline
1.8 mi
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 Winter Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,480 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
- Winter 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 Winter Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Winter Lake in Becker 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 Winter Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Winter Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Winter Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2022–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Winter Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Ogemash (completed 1966), built primarily for fish and wildlife pond on the Egg River; earth-type dam, 10 ft tall and 110 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 72 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 260 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 20.3 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- USFWS
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00619 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.85 km)
Nearby Lakes in Becker County
Frequently asked questions about Winter Lake
Where is Winter Lake?
- Winter Lake is a lake in Becker County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Winter Lake?
- Winter Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11.6 µg/L. Surface area: 116.72 acres.
Is Winter 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 Winter Lake?
- Winter Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 25 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Winter Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Winter Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 50 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 116.72 acres.
What fish are in Winter Lake?
- Fish species found in Winter Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch. Winter Lake is located in Becker County, Minnesota.
Are there boat ramps on Winter Lake?
- Winter Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Winter Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Winter Lake?
- Winter 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 Winter Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
31 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA31 samples · 2024–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity, Nephelometric 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory