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LakeQuality

Bemidji Lake vs Movil Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Bemidji Lake and Movil Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.

Both Bemidji Lake and Movil 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Bemidji Lake (A) versus Movil Lake (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.

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.

A

Bemidji Lake

Beltrami County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft.

A

Movil Lake

Beltrami County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricBemidji LakeMovil Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity12.5 ft14 ft
Phosphorus16.5 µg/L12 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth76 ft50 ft
Surface Area6.6K acres855.17 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species11
Trophic Statemesotrophicoligotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Bemidji Lake: 12.5 ft, Movil Lake: 14 ft) and what you want from the lake. Bemidji Lake matches its peer on species count.