Ada Lake vs Hattie Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ada Lake and Hattie Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Cass County, Minnesota.
Ada Lake and Hattie Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The readings are close: Ada Lake and Hattie Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Ada Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft.
Hattie Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.3 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ada Lake | Hattie Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 14 ft Better | 10.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L Better | 16.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.7 µg/L Better | 4.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 60 ft Better | 30 ft |
| Surface Area | 963 acres | 588 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 16 Better | 14 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Ada Lake or Hattie Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Ada Lake: 14 ft, Hattie Lake: 10.3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Ada Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.