Yankton Lake
Lyon County, Minnesota403 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Yankton Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- 8 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Yankton Lake in Lyon County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 98 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 402.57 acres.
Yankton Lake is a 403-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Lyon County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 8 feet. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Lyon County, Yankton Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Yankton Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 12
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. Yankton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Yankton 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 Yankton Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Yankton 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 0.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 98 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 20.3 µg/L. TSI 70.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 98µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 20.3µg/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. | 70 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Yankton Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Yankton Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 83°F) and coldest in Aug (about 72°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (72°F) to its warmest (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 9 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Yankton Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
8 ft
Surface area
403 acres
Shoreline
4.9 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,506 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Yankton 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 Yankton Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Yankton Lake in Lyon 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 Yankton Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Yankton 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 Yankton Lake
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 12
Earliest Mar 5, 2017 · Latest Apr 11, 2008
Most recent ice-out
Mar 5
2017
4 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Yankton Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Yankton (completed 1942), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Dog Creek-TR; gravity-type dam, 8 ft tall and 17 ft long.
- Surface area
- 380 ac
- Normal storage
- 380 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 380 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- City of Balaton
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00230 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Yankton Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN42-0047-00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Yankton Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Balaton WwtpBalaton · 1 mi away · NPDES MN0020559Recent violation
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 Lyon County
Frequently asked questions about Yankton Lake
Where is Yankton Lake?
- Yankton Lake is a lake in Lyon County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Yankton Lake?
- Yankton Lake in Lyon County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 98 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 402.57 acres.
Is Yankton Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Yankton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Yankton Lake?
- Yankton Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September, from 9 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Yankton Lake?
- Yankton Lake has a maximum depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 402.57 acres.
What fish are in Yankton Lake?
- Fish species found in Yankton Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, pumpkinseed, walleye, white crappie, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Yankton Lake is located in Lyon County, Minnesota.
When does Yankton Lake thaw?
- Yankton Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 12.
Are there boat ramps on Yankton Lake?
- Yankton Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Yankton Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Yankton Lake?
- Yankton 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 Yankton Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Lyon County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
9 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
MNPCA9 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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate