Deer Lake 31-0334-00 Lake Water Quality

Deer Lake is located 45 miles east of Northome, MN in Itasca County. It is a mostly round lake covering 1,853 acres (Table 1). Deer Lake has four inlets and one outlet, which classify it as a drainage lake. Water enters Deer Lake from surrounding lakes. Deer Creek exits the lake on the west side of Deer Lake and carries water westward to the Big Fork River. Water quality data have been collected on Deer Lake since 1981 (Tables 2 & 3). These data show that the lake is mesotrophic (TSI = 44) with moderately clear water conditions most of the summer and excellent recreational opportunities.