Birch Lake vs Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Birch Lake and Long Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Cass County, Minnesota.
Both Birch Lake and Long Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. These two sit close on the readings, Birch Lake versus Long Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With readings 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.
Birch Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft.
Long Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 21.5 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Birch Lake | Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 14 ft | 21.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 12 µg/L | 9 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4 µg/L | 3 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 45 ft | 115 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,267 acres | 1,007 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 14 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Birch Lake or Long Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Birch Lake: 14 ft, Long Lake: 21.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Birch Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.