Bemidji Lake vs Irving Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Bemidji Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Irving Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Both Bemidji Lake and Irving 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Bemidji Lake grades a A while Irving Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Bemidji 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?
Bemidji Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft.
Irving Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.3 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Bemidji Lake | Irving Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 12.5 ft | 5.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 16.5 µg/L | 30 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 76 ft | 19 ft |
| Surface Area | 6.6K acres | 661.63 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Bemidji Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Irving Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 12.5 ft vs 5.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Bemidji Lake also leads with 1 species.