Blackwater Lake vs Pokegama Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pokegama Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Blackwater Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.
Both Blackwater Lake and Pokegama 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: Pokegama Lake grades a A while Blackwater 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 — Pokegama 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?
Blackwater Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft.
Pokegama Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Blackwater Lake | Pokegama Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 4.4 ft | 16 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 12 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 464 acres | 13.0K acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pokegama Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Blackwater Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 16 ft vs 4.4 ft. For fishing diversity, Pokegama Lake also leads with 1 species.