Andrew Lake vs Maple Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Andrew Lake and Maple Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Both Andrew Lake and Maple Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Andrew Lake and Maple 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.
Andrew Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.9 ft.
Maple Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Andrew Lake | Maple Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 13.9 ft | 14.1 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 17 µg/L | 15 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4 µg/L | 3.1 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 83 ft Better | 78 ft |
| Surface Area | 923 acres | 831 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 18 Better | 17 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | 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 Andrew Lake or Maple Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Andrew Lake: 13.9 ft, Maple Lake: 14.1 ft) and what you want from the lake. Andrew Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.