Clearwater Lake vs Itasca Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Itasca Lake. Both are in Clearwater County, Minnesota.
Both Clearwater Lake and Itasca Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. Clearwater Lake reads materially cleaner than Itasca Lake on nutrients and algae. 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 gap in the readings is decisive: Clearwater Lake has the lower nutrient and algae numbers. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Clearwater Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft.
Itasca Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Itasca Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 10 ft Better | 7.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 16 µg/L Better | 26.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.2 µg/L Better | 14.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 65 ft Better | 40 ft |
| Surface Area | 999 acres | 1,065 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 15 Better |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Verdict
Clearwater Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Itasca Lake. Water clarity: 10 ft vs 7.9 ft. For more fish-species variety, Itasca Lake edges ahead with 15 documented species.
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Where to stay near Clearwater Lake and Itasca Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.