Big Kandiyohi Lake vs Green Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Green Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Big Kandiyohi Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.
Big Kandiyohi Lake and Green 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Green Lake grades a A while Big Kandiyohi Lake grades a D. 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 — Green 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?
Big Kandiyohi Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft.
Green Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Kandiyohi Lake | Green Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.2 ft | 13.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 145 µg/L | 14 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 18 ft | 110 ft |
| Surface Area | 2.7K acres | 5.6K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Green Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Big Kandiyohi Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 13.1 ft vs 5.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Green Lake also leads with 1 species.