Buchanan Lake vs Rush Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Rush Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Buchanan Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both Buchanan Lake and Rush 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 close: Buchanan Lake (C) and Rush Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Buchanan Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft.
Rush Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Buchanan Lake | Rush Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 5.2 ft | 6.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 22 µg/L | 27.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 68 ft |
| Surface Area | 963.59 acres | 5.3K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Rush Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Buchanan Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 6.9 ft vs 5.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Rush Lake also leads with 1 species.