Cedar Lake vs Collinwood Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Cedar Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Collinwood Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Wright County, Minnesota.
Cedar Lake and Collinwood Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The grades are meaningfully apart: Cedar Lake grades a A while Collinwood 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.
Collinwood Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cedar Lake | Collinwood Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 15 ft | 3.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 23.5 µg/L | 120.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 774 acres | 644 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 Collinwood Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 3.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Cedar Lake also leads with 1 species.