Bad Medicine Lake vs Becker Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Bad Medicine Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Becker Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Becker County, Minnesota.
Both Bad Medicine Lake and Becker 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. Bad Medicine Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Becker Lake (D). 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 — Bad Medicine 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?
Bad Medicine Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 25 ft down.
Becker Lake
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Bad Medicine Lake | Becker Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 25 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | 6 µg/L | 60 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 84 ft | 120 ft |
| Surface Area | 803.03 acres | 2.0K 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
Bad Medicine Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Becker Lake's Grade D. For fishing diversity, Bad Medicine Lake also leads with 1 species.