Borden Lake vs Round Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Borden Lake and Round Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Minnesota.
Both Borden Lake and Round 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Borden Lake (A) versus Round Lake (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With grades 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.
Round Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Borden Lake | Round Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 10.5 ft | 14.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 23 µg/L | 10 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.8 µg/L | 2.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 84 ft | 125 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,011 acres | 737 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 18 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Borden Lake: 10.5 ft, Round Lake: 14.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Borden Lake has fewer fish species than Round Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.