Clearwater Lake vs Little Saganaga Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Little Saganaga Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.
Both Clearwater Lake and Little Saganaga 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Clearwater Lake grades a A while Little Saganaga Lake grades a C. 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 — Clearwater 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?
Clearwater Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 30 ft down.
Little Saganaga Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.3 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Little Saganaga Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 30 ft | 9.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 4 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 65 ft | 150 ft |
| Surface Area | 461.73 acres | 1.6K acres |
| Public Access | No | No |
| Fish Species | 0 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Clearwater Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Little Saganaga Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 30 ft vs 9.3 ft. For more fish-species variety, Little Saganaga Lake edges ahead with 1 documented species.