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Sullivan Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Camp Lake. Both are in Minnesota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Both Camp Lake and Sullivan Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are meaningfully apart: Sullivan Lake carries clearly lower phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings than Camp Lake. A spread that wide reflects real underlying differences, in watershed inputs, depth profiles, or monitoring rigor.

For a recreational visitor, the wider gap in the readings is decisive: Sullivan Lake has the lower nutrient and algae numbers. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?

Camp Lake

Crow Wing County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.3 ft.

Sullivan Lake

Morrison County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 10.8 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricCamp LakeSullivan Lake
Water Clarity8.3 ft10.8 ft Better
Phosphorus19.5 µg/L14 µg/L Better
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)10.4 µg/L5 µg/L Better
Maximum Depth42 ft57 ft Better
Surface Area534 acres1,103 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1218 Better
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

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.

Verdict

Sullivan Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Camp Lake. Water clarity: 10.8 ft vs 8.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Sullivan Lake also leads with 18 species.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.