Cedar Lake vs Cokato Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Cedar Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Cokato Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Wright County, Minnesota.
Both Cedar Lake and Cokato 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: Cedar Lake grades a A while Cokato Lake grades a D. 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 — Cedar 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
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Cokato Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cedar Lake | Cokato Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 15 ft | 6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 23.5 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 774 acres | 560 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Cedar Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Cokato Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 6 ft. For fishing diversity, Cedar Lake also leads with 1 species.