Alton Lake vs Sawbill Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Alton Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Sawbill Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.
Alton Lake and Sawbill 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 grades are close: Alton Lake (B) and Sawbill Lake (C) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades 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.
Alton Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft.
Sawbill Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Alton Lake | Sawbill Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 13.5 ft | 6.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 72 ft | 45 ft |
| Surface Area | 968.63 acres | 833.89 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Alton Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Sawbill Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 13.5 ft vs 6.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Alton Lake also leads with 1 species.