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LakeQuality

Borden Lake vs Camp Lake

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

Borden Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Camp Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Borden Lake and Camp 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. Borden Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Camp Lake (C). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.

For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Borden 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?

A

Borden Lake

Crow Wing County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft.

C

Camp Lake

Crow Wing County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.3 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricBorden LakeCamp Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)C (Fair)
Water Clarity10.5 ft8.3 ft
Phosphorus23 µg/L19.5 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)4.8 µg/L10.4 µg/L
Maximum Depth84 ft42 ft
Surface Area1,011 acres534 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1612
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

Borden Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Camp Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 10.5 ft vs 8.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Borden Lake also leads with 16 species.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.