Clearwater Lake vs Three Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Three Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.
Clearwater Lake and Three 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Clearwater Lake grades a A while Three 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 18 ft down.
Three Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Three Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 18 ft | 8 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 46 ft | 37 ft |
| Surface Area | 640.18 acres | 904.07 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 Three Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 8 ft. For more fish-species variety, Three Lake edges ahead with 1 documented species.