Buchanan Lake vs Rush Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Buchanan Lake and Rush Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of 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 (C) 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 5.5 ft.
Rush Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Buchanan Lake | Rush Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 5.5 ft | 7.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 22 µg/L | 27 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 12.3 µg/L | 9.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 68 ft |
| Surface Area | 964 acres | 5,276 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 8 | 19 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Buchanan Lake: 5.5 ft, Rush Lake: 7.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Buchanan Lake has fewer fish species than Rush Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.