Zumwalde Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota128 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Zumwalde Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 23 ft max depth
- Limited data
Zumwalde Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 128.11 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 29, 2024 caught 3.50 walleye per gill net at Zumwalde Lake. DNR survey details →
Zumwalde Lake is a 128-acre lake in Stearns County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 23 feet (6-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 18 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Zumwalde Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing18 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Zumwalde Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Zumwalde 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 Zumwalde Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Zumwalde 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 2.3 ft of visibility. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 65 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Zumwalde Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Zumwalde Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in May (about 59°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (59°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 26 field readings (2011–2019) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Zumwalde Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 29, 2024 caught 3.50 walleye per gill net at Zumwalde Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Zumwalde 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
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-07-29 (Targeted Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2024-07-29 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Crappie | 27.30 | 4–11 in 2024-07-29 | 0.28 lb |
| Channel Catfish | 11.90 | 17–25 in 2024-07-29 | 1.87 lb |
| Bluegill | 10.69 | 3–7 in 2024-07-29 | 0.25 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 8.43 | 3–18 in 2024-07-29 | 0.73 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 7.25 | 5–7 in 2024-07-29 | 0.17 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.
Black Crappie
Channel Catfish
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
From the 2024-07-29 survey
The Sauk River Chain of Lakes (SRCL) is located in south-central Stearns County, near the city of Richmond. A dam built in the early 1900's on the Sauk River in Cold Spring created the SRCL a reservoir consisting of nine lakes and approximately 3,200 acres of water. The Sauk River drains a large portion of central…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Zumwalde Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ZumwaldeFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
23 ft
Average depth
6.1 ft
Surface area
128 acres
Shoreline
4.6 mi
Littoral zone
82%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Zumwalde Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+25 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+27.5 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Zumwalde 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 MN73-0089-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Stearns County
Frequently asked questions about Zumwalde Lake
Where is Zumwalde Lake?
- Zumwalde Lake is a lake in Stearns County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Zumwalde Lake?
- Zumwalde Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 128.11 acres.
Is Zumwalde Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Zumwalde 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 Zumwalde Lake?
- Zumwalde Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September, from 26 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2019). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Zumwalde Lake?
- Zumwalde Lake has a maximum depth of 23 feet and an average depth of 6.1 feet. The lake covers 128.11 acres.
What fish are in Zumwalde Lake?
- Fish species found in Zumwalde Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, black redhorse, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, greater redhorse, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Zumwalde Lake is located in Stearns County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Zumwalde Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 29, 2024 caught 3.50 walleye per gill net at Zumwalde Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Zumwalde 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 Zumwalde Lake?
- Public access to Zumwalde Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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.
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Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA5 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder