Cedar Lake vs Lower Prior Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lower Prior Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Cedar Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Scott County, Minnesota.
Both Cedar Lake and Lower Prior 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: Lower Prior Lake grades a B while Cedar Lake grades a F. 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 — Lower Prior 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?
Cedar Lake
Very murky, less than 3.1 ft of visibility.
Lower Prior Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cedar Lake | Lower Prior Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 3.1 ft | 9.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 26.8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 13 ft | 60 ft |
| Surface Area | 793.43 acres | 956.16 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lower Prior Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Cedar Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 9.5 ft vs 3.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Lower Prior Lake also leads with 1 species.