Borden Lake vs Clearwater Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Borden Lake and Clearwater Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Borden Lake and Clearwater 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. These two sit close on the readings, Borden Lake versus Clearwater 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.
Borden Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft.
Clearwater Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Borden Lake | Clearwater Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 10.5 ft | 13 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 23 µg/L | 12 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.8 µg/L | 3.7 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 84 ft Better | 54 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,011 acres | 905 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 16 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
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 Borden Lake or Clearwater Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Borden Lake: 10.5 ft, Clearwater Lake: 13 ft) and what you want from the lake. Borden Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.