A red sun low over Slim Lake through wildfire haze, its reflection a column of orange on the water

Reservoirs in Minnesota

205 of 6,760 measured Minnesota lakes (3%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 30 carry a High or Significant hazard rating.

Reading the Minnesota reservoir landscape

Minnesota hosts 205 man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams — a dense reservoir landscape that reflects significant federal, state, and utility-led impoundment construction over the 20th century. Reservoir lakes behave differently than natural lakes: water levels are managed for the dam's primary purpose, residence time depends on inflow and release schedules, and depth profiles follow the original river-valley topography rather than the bowl shape of glacial lakes.

Recreation is the headline purpose for the largest share of Minnesota's reservoirs — lakes where the dam exists explicitly to create surface water for fishing, boating, and adjacent shoreline development. Pool levels are typically maintained more stably than at flood-control or hydro reservoirs, which supports fixed-dock access, consistent boat ramps, and the kind of shoreline economy that natural-lake counterparts in the state share.

The USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID) catalogs every dam in the United States above a size threshold — typically 25 feet in height or 50 acre-feet in maximum storage, plus all dams classified as high-hazard regardless of size. The reservoir records below pull NID fields (year built, hazard class, maximum storage, surface area at normal pool, dam length, primary purpose) and pair them with water-quality data where the impoundment also appears in EPA's lake-monitoring inventory.

Why these Minnesota reservoirs were built

120

Recreation

Other

Fish and Wildlife Pond

Flood Risk Reduction

Hydroelectric

Water Supply

Tailings

Grade Stabilization

205

Total reservoirs

263,837

Total surface acres

4,080,410

Normal storage (ac-ft)

High or Significant hazard

All 205 Minnesota reservoirs (by surface area)

Reservoir	County	Surface area	Year built	Purpose	Hazard
Lake Winnibigoshish	Cass	68,000 ac	1884	Water Supply	Significant
Otter Tail Lake	Otter Tail	14,745 ac	1936	Other	Low
Pokegama Lake	Itasca	13,000 ac	1884	Recreation	Significant
Gull Lake	Cass	13,000 ac	1912	Recreation	Low
Pelican Lake	Crow Wing	8,253 ac	1938	Other	Low
Miltona Lake	Douglas	5,724 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Green Lake	Kandiyohi	5,560 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Rush Lake	Otter Tail	5,233 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Whiteface Reservoir	St. Louis	4,800 ac	1922	Hydroelectric	Low
Big Pine Lake	Otter Tail	4,644 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Ida Lake	Douglas	4,426 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	3,962 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Deer Lake	Itasca	3,958 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Height of Land Lake	Becker	3,500 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Koronis Lake	Stearns	3,034 ac	1989	Recreation	Low
Ten Mile Lake	Otter Tail	2,208 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Wabana Lake	Itasca	2,186 ac	1940	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Fall Lake	Lake	2,173 ac	1989	Recreation	Low
Big Birch Lake	Todd	2,112 ac	1992	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Little Pine Lake	Otter Tail	2,100 ac	1933	Recreation	Low
Potato Lake	Hubbard	2,100 ac	1939	Recreation	Low
Potato Lake	Hubbard	2,100 ac	1939	Recreation	Low
Pelican Lake	St. Louis	2,050 ac	2002	Recreation	Low
Sturgeon Lake	St. Louis	2,050 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
White Earth Lake	Becker	1,990 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Pomme de Terre Lake	Grant	1,948 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Devil Track Lake	Cook	1,873 ac	1987	Recreation	Low
Long Lake	Hubbard	1,863 ac	1949	Recreation	Low
Flat Lake	Becker	1,754 ac	1941	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Diamond Lake	Kandiyohi	1,660 ac	1932	Recreation	Low
Pine Mountain Lake	Cass	1,612 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Many Point Lake	Becker	1,588 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Washburn Lake	Cass	1,554 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Blue Lake	Crow Wing	1,510 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Roosevelt Lake	Cass	1,510 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Maple Lake	Polk	1,477 ac	1942	Recreation	Low
Byllesby Lake	Dakota	1,430 ac	1911	Hydroelectric	High
Blanche Lake	Otter Tail	1,352 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Thunder Lake	Cass	1,347 ac	1934	Recreation	Low
Sylvan Lake	Cass	1,280 ac	1913	Hydroelectric	High
Knife Lake	Kanabec	1,277 ac	1983	Recreation	Significant
Little Kandiyohi Lake	Kandiyohi	1,237 ac	1941	Recreation	Low
Whitewater Lake	St. Louis	1,233 ac	1954	Water Supply	Significant
Rose Lake	Otter Tail	1,177 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Round Lake	Becker	1,100 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Lower Prior Lake	Scott	1,056 ac	—	—	Low
Bald Eagle Lake	Ramsey	1,046 ac	1889	Recreation	Low
Prairie Lake	Otter Tail	1,025 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Wind Lake	Lake	1,009 ac	1900	Other	Low
Nest Lake	Kandiyohi	1,008 ac	1964	Recreation	Low
Shaokotan Lake	Lincoln	994 ac	1917	Other	Low
Clearwater Lake	Clearwater	886 ac	1931	Other	Low
French Lake	Rice	880 ac	1960	Recreation	Low
Talcot Lake	Cottonwood	873 ac	1941	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Beltrami Lake	Beltrami	853 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Movil Lake	Beltrami	853 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Moses Lake	Douglas	824 ac	1937	Other	Low
Eagle Lake	Kandiyohi	819 ac	1941	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Orwell Lake	Otter Tail	805 ac	1953	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Okabena Lake	Nobles	785 ac	1941	Recreation	Low
Ely Lake	St. Louis	780 ac	1939	Recreation	Low
Cedar Lake	Wright	774 ac	1963	Recreation	Low
Pillager Lake	Cass	768 ac	1917	Hydroelectric	High
Rabideau Lake	Beltrami	723 ac	1937	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Loon Lake	Jackson	707 ac	1935	Recreation	Low
Jefferson Lake	Le Sueur	700 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Lake Jefferson	Le Sueur	700 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Nokay Lake	Crow Wing	697 ac	1966	Recreation	Low
Emily Lake	Crow Wing	694 ac	1939	Recreation	Low
Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	662 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Waukenabo Lake	Aitkin	650 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Wilson Lake	Lake	650 ac	1961	Recreation	Low
Collinwood Lake	Wright	644 ac	1955	Recreation	Low
Geneva Lake	Douglas	635 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Calhoun Lake	Kandiyohi	617 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Clear Lake	Waseca	611 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Aaron Lake	Douglas	611 ac	1964	Recreation	Low
Two Inlets Lake	Becker	600 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Ripple Lake	Aitkin	600 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
West Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	561 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Cokato Lake	Wright	560 ac	—	Other	Low
Fountain Lake	Freeborn	555 ac	1911	Recreation	Low
Barrett Lake	Grant	532 ac	1937	Recreation	Significant
Long Meadow Lake	Hennepin	530 ac	1953	Water Supply	Low
Gorman Lake	Le Sueur	521 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Marion Lake	McLeod	520 ac	1948	Other	Low
Sand Hill Lake	Polk	510 ac	1956	Recreation	Low
Norway Lake	Cass	500 ac	1909	Recreation	Low
Hattie Lake	Cass	484 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Wolf Lake	St. Louis	467 ac	1941	Recreation	Low
Blackwater Lake	Itasca	464 ac	—	Tailings	Significant
Esquagama Lake	St. Louis	453 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Straight Lake	Becker	450 ac	1942	Recreation	Low
Curtis Lake	Yellow Medicine	440 ac	2009	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Fish Lake	Kanabec	440 ac	1930	Other	Low
State Line Lake	Freeborn	425 ac	1930	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Portage Lake	Hubbard	422 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Sibley Lake	Crow Wing	418 ac	1937	Recreation	Undetermined
Outlet of Ogechie Lake on the Rum River	Mille Lacs	410 ac	1952	—	Low
Little Toad Lake	Becker	405 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Pine Lake	Crow Wing	400 ac	1970	Recreation	Low
Yankton Lake	Lyon	380 ac	1942	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Cottonwood Lake	Lyon	378 ac	1960	Grade Stabilization	Low
Park Lake	Carlton	376 ac	1963	Other	Low
Winsted Lake	McLeod	376 ac	1954	Recreation	Low
Thomson Reservoir	Carlton	375 ac	1907	Hydroelectric	High
Grove Lake	Pope	364 ac	1930	Other	Low
Ann Lake	Kanabec	363 ac	1966	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
South Stanchfield Lake	Isanti	363 ac	1939	Recreation	Low
North Stanchfield Lake	Isanti	363 ac	1939	Recreation	Low
Eagle Lake	Crow Wing	358 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Elk Lake	Sherburne	353 ac	—	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Lory Lake	Isanti	341 ac	1962	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Little Waverly Lake	Wright	330 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Hanging Kettle Lake	Aitkin	320 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Marlu Lake	Pope	320 ac	1967	Recreation	Low
Emily Lake	Le Sueur	315 ac	1939	Recreation	Low
Rice Lake	Hennepin	314 ac	1967	Other	Low
Round Grove Lake	McLeod	307 ac	1921	Other	Low
Peltier Lake	Anoka	301 ac	1930	Recreation	Low
Roger Lake	Crow Wing	300 ac	1938	Recreation	Undetermined
Lower Orono Lake	Sherburne	300 ac	1916	Recreation	High
Beaulieu Lake	Mahnomen	300 ac	1922	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Undetermined
Riley Lake	Hennepin	296 ac	1958	Recreation	Undetermined
Little Bemidji Lake	Becker	290 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Elmo Lake	Washington	281 ac	1981	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Shakopee Lake	Chippewa	261 ac	1976	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Timm Lake	Yellow Medicine	260 ac	1924	Other	Low
Busties Lake	Itasca	230 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Mountain Lake	Cottonwood	230 ac	1960	Recreation	Significant
Sleepy Eye Lake	Brown	227 ac	1949	Recreation	Low
Smith Lake	St. Louis	220 ac	1939	Recreation	Low
Stump Lake	Beltrami	201 ac	1907	Hydroelectric	Significant
North Silver Lake	Martin	200 ac	1972	Recreation	Low
Pierz Lake	Morrison	189 ac	1955	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Eagle Lake	Carver	183 ac	1965	Other	Low
Carlos Lake	Douglas	183 ac	1993	Recreation	Undetermined
First Fulda Lake	Murray	183 ac	1923	Other	Low
Swartout Lake	Wright	171 ac	1941	Recreation	Low
Deer Lake	Wright	163 ac	1940	Recreation	Low
Goose Lake	Wright	163 ac	1940	Recreation	Low
Del Clark Lake	Yellow Medicine	160 ac	1985	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Velvet Lake	Crow Wing	160 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Mill Lake	Becker	160 ac	1937	Other	Low
Little Gabbro Lake	Lake	154 ac	1924	Recreation	Low
Fox Lake	Beltrami	148 ac	1939	Recreation	Undetermined
Watkins Lake	Waseca	134 ac	1938	Recreation	Undetermined
Snelling Lake	Hennepin	103 ac	1965	Recreation	Low
Balsam Lake	Itasca	103 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Beaver Lake	Steele	91 ac	1939	Other	Low
St Olaf Lake	Waseca	90 ac	1940	Recreation	Low
Hill River Lake	Polk	88 ac	1950	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Normandale Lake	Hennepin	82 ac	1980	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Spike Lake	Clearwater	80 ac	1938	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Split Rock Reservoir	Pipestone	80 ac	1937	Recreation	Significant
Dark Lake	Koochiching	78 ac	1958	Other	Low
George Lake	Martin	76 ac	1939	Recreation	Significant
Current Lake Marsh	Murray	73 ac	2008	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Round Lake	Ramsey	72 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Elkhorn Lake	Kandiyohi	72 ac	1969	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Keller Lake	Ramsey	72 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Wellner-Hageman Reservoir	Brown	71 ac	1993	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Sugar Lake	Itasca	67 ac	1980	Other	Low
Muskrat Lake	Becker	59 ac	1888	Recreation	Low
Silver Lake	Olmsted	58 ac	1935	Recreation	Significant
Long Lake	Becker	45 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
St Clair Lake	Becker	45 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Silver Lake	Hennepin	32 ac	1987	Recreation	Low
Jonathan Lake	Carver	31 ac	—	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Big Woods Lake	Carver	31 ac	1989	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Mcknight Lake	Carver	31 ac	—	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Unnamed Lake	Douglas	23 ac	—	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Locke Lake	Anoka	23 ac	1956	Recreation	Significant
Laura Lake	Redwood	22 ac	1979	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Unnamed Lake	St. Louis	20 ac	1975	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Grace Lake	Carver	19 ac	1968	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Mill Pond	Scott	16 ac	2000	Recreation	Significant
Alice Lake	Otter Tail	15 ac	1921	Hydroelectric	Low
Echo Lake	Carlton	10 ac	1988	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Pike Lake	Ramsey	9 ac	—	Recreation	Low
Sunset Pond	Dakota	8 ac	1983	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Battle Creek Lake	Washington	2 ac	1982	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Clear Lake	Stevens	—	—	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Zumbro Lake	Olmsted	—	1919	Hydroelectric	High
Thompson Lake	Dakota	—	1932	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Swan Lake	Itasca	—	1967	Other	Low
Perch Lake	Carlton	—	—	—	Undetermined
Crow R Mill Pond	Kandiyohi	—	1864	Recreation	High
Parley Lake	Carver	—	1966	Other	Low
Minerva Lake	Clearwater	—	1968	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Wynne Lake	St. Louis	—	1944	Other	Low
Jaskari Lake	Carlton	—	—	—	Undetermined
Eighth Crow Wing Lake	Hubbard	—	1938	Recreation	Low
Deadfish Lake	Carlton	—	—	—	Undetermined
Rice Portage Lake	Carlton	—	—	—	Undetermined
Marie Lake	Stearns	—	1974	Recreation	Low
Faherty Lake	Cass	—	1970	Other	Low
Waboose Lake	Becker	—	1930	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Champlin Mill Pond	Hennepin	—	2017	Recreation	Significant
St. Patrick Lake	Becker	—	1953	Fire Protection, Stock, Or Small Fish Pond	Low
Hoot Lake	Otter Tail	—	1913	Hydroelectric	Low
Bella Lake	Nobles	—	1971	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Winter Lake	Becker	—	1966	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Crow River Mill Pond	Kandiyohi	—	1864	Recreation	High
Titlow Lake	Sibley	—	1920	Recreation	Low

Frequently Asked Questions

How many reservoirs are in Minnesota?

205 of 6,760 measured Minnesota lakes (3%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 30 are rated High or Significant hazard, meaning failure would put downstream lives or property at substantial risk. The oldest matched dam dates to 1864.

What's the largest reservoir in Minnesota?

The largest matched reservoir in Minnesota is Lake Winnibigoshish in Cass County at 68,000 acres of normal surface area, impounded by the Winnibigoshish Dam - Dike 1 (completed 1884).

What's the difference between a reservoir and a natural lake?

A reservoir is a body of water impounded by a man-made dam — typically built for flood control, hydroelectric power, water supply, irrigation, or recreation. A natural lake formed without human intervention, usually from glacial scouring, volcanic activity, or river meandering. Reservoirs typically have shoreline that fluctuates with seasonal water level management, while natural lakes have more stable shorelines. The USACE National Inventory of Dams classifies every regulated dam in the United States, which is how we identify which LakeQuality lakes are actually reservoirs.

What does the hazard class mean?

USACE assigns each dam a hazard potential classification based on what would happen downstream if the dam failed — NOT how likely the dam is to fail. "Low" hazard means dam failure would cause no probable loss of life and only low economic loss. "Significant" means probable loss of life is unlikely but appreciable economic damage would occur. "High" means probable loss of life and significant economic damage. The classification is about consequence, not condition. Many High-hazard dams are perfectly safe; they're rated High because populated areas have grown downstream over time.

Where does this reservoir data come from?

Every reservoir record on this page is matched to the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all dams ≥25 ft tall or impounding ≥50 acre-feet, plus any dam that poses a Significant or High hazard regardless of size. The NID is published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and updated annually. Surface area, storage capacity, dam height, and hazard classification come directly from NID records.

Where to stay near Minnesota reservoirs

Compare cabins, lodges, and vacation rentals near the largest reservoirs in Minnesota — live availability and prices for boating, fishing, and lake trips.

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More on reservoirs and water quality

Are Reservoirs Cleaner Than Natural Lakes?

Dam-built reservoirs and natural lakes compared side by side on the same nutrient and algae measurements — the gap, the reasons behind it, and the exceptions.

Do Deeper Lakes Have Better Water Quality?

Surveyed maximum depth against nutrient and algae readings: the pattern, the shallow lakes that still read clean, and why land use beats bathymetry.

Lake Water Quality Explained: What the Readings Mean

How nutrient and algae readings are read against EPA ecoregion condition classes, what each class means in the water, and why a clean reading is not a clearance.

Why Lakes Turn Green: Phosphorus and Nutrient Pollution

How phosphorus and nutrient runoff drive algae growth and turn lakes green, where the nutrients come from, and what it means for a lake’s readings.

Data source

Reservoir data from the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all regulated dams. Dam attributes (height, year completed, storage capacity, hazard class) are matched to LakeQuality lakes by proximity and dam-name similarity. Some lakes may be reservoirs that aren't matched if the dam record uses a name substantially different from our lake name.