Alice Lake vs Orwell Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Orwell Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Alice Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both Alice Lake and Orwell 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. Orwell Lake (C) is materially cleaner than Alice Lake (F). 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 — Orwell 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?
Alice Lake
Very murky, less than 0.5 ft of visibility.
Orwell Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Alice Lake | Orwell Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 0.5 ft | 4.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 54 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 15 acres | 805 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 1 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Orwell Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Alice Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 4.1 ft vs 0.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Orwell Lake also leads with 1 species.