Clear Lake vs St. Olaf Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
St. Olaf Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Clear Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Waseca County, Minnesota.
Both Clear Lake and St. Olaf 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 — Clear Lake (F) versus St. Olaf Lake (D). 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.
Clear Lake
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.
St. Olaf Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clear Lake | St. Olaf Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2.5 ft | 5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 151 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 611 acres | 90 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
St. Olaf Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Clear Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 5 ft vs 2.5 ft. For fishing diversity, St. Olaf Lake also leads with 1 species.