Alder Lake vs Rove Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Alder Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Rove Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.
Both Alder Lake and Rove Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. Alder Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Rove Lake (C). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Alder Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Alder Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.8 ft.
Rove Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Alder Lake | Rove Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 13.8 ft | 9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 8 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 72 ft | 130 ft |
| Surface Area | 528.93 acres | 1.3K acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 0 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Alder Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Rove Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 13.8 ft vs 9 ft. For more fish-species variety, Rove Lake edges ahead with 1 documented species.