Clearwater Lake vs Crooked Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Crooked Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.
Clearwater Lake and Crooked Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. Clearwater Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Crooked Lake (C). 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 — 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 18 ft down.
Crooked Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Crooked Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 18 ft | 9 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 46 ft | 165 ft |
| Surface Area | 640.18 acres | 10.4K acres |
| Public Access | No | No |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| 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 Crooked Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 9 ft. For fishing diversity, Clearwater Lake also leads with 0 species.