Andrusia Lake vs Irving Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Andrusia Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Irving Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Andrusia Lake and Irving 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. Andrusia Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Irving 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 — Andrusia 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?
Andrusia Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.5 ft down.
Irving Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.3 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Andrusia Lake | Irving Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 15.5 ft | 5.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L | 30 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 60 ft | 19 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.6K acres | 661.63 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Andrusia Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Irving Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 15.5 ft vs 5.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Andrusia Lake also leads with 1 species.