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LakeQuality

Clearwater Lake vs Ogishkemuncie Lake

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

Clearwater Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Ogishkemuncie Lake (B, Good). Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.

Both Clearwater Lake and Ogishkemuncie 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 — Clearwater Lake (A) versus Ogishkemuncie Lake (B). 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.

A

Clearwater Lake

Lake County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.

B

Ogishkemuncie Lake

Lake County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 12 ft.

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.

MetricClearwater LakeOgishkemuncie Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)B (Good)
Water Clarity18 ft12 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth46 ft75 ft
Surface Area640.18 acres762.35 acres
Public AccessNoNo
Fish Species01
Trophic Stateoligotrophicmesotrophic

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 Ogishkemuncie Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 12 ft. For more fish-species variety, Ogishkemuncie Lake edges ahead with 1 documented species.