Burntside Lake vs Shagawa Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Burntside Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Shagawa Lake (C, Fair). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Both Burntside Lake and Shagawa 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 meaningfully apart: Burntside Lake grades a A while Shagawa Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Burntside 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?
Burntside Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down.
Shagawa Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Burntside Lake | Shagawa Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 16 ft | 8.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 7 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 126 ft | 48 ft |
| Surface Area | 7.3K acres | 2.3K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Burntside Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Shagawa Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 16 ft vs 8.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Burntside Lake also leads with 1 species.