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LakeQuality

Charlotte Lake vs Emily Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Charlotte Lake and Emily Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Very Poor). Both are in Minnesota.

Both Charlotte Lake and Emily 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Charlotte Lake (F) versus Emily Lake (F). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.

With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.

F

Charlotte Lake

Stevens County, Minnesota

Very murky, less than 0.9 ft of visibility.

F

Emily Lake

Pope County, Minnesota

Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricCharlotte LakeEmily Lake
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity0.9 ft2 ft
Phosphorus237 µg/L90 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth20 ft6 ft
Surface Area468.34 acres2.3K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species11
Trophic Statehypereutrophiceutrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Charlotte Lake: 0.9 ft, Emily Lake: 2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Charlotte Lake matches its peer on species count.