Clearwater Lake vs Windy Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Windy Lake (B, Good). Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.
Clearwater Lake and Windy 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Clearwater Lake (A) versus Windy 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.
Clearwater Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Windy Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Windy Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 18 ft | 5.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 11 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 46 ft | 39 ft |
| Surface Area | 640.18 acres | 456 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 0 | 7 |
| 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 Windy Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 5.5 ft. For more fish-species variety, Windy Lake edges ahead with 7 documented species.