Cedar Lake vs Goose Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Cedar Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Goose Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wright County, Minnesota.
Both Cedar Lake and Goose 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. Cedar Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Goose Lake (F). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
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.
Goose Lake
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cedar Lake | Goose Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 15 ft | 2.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 23.5 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 774 acres | 163 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 Goose Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 2.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Cedar Lake also leads with 1 species.