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LakeQuality

Clearwater Lake vs Waverly Lake

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

Clearwater Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Waverly Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Wright County, Minnesota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Clearwater Lake and Waverly 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 Waverly 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?

A

Clearwater Lake

Wright County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.8 ft.

C

Waverly Lake

Wright County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricClearwater LakeWaverly Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)C (Fair)
Water Clarity9.8 ft6.9 ft
Phosphorus22 µg/L29 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)6.3 µg/L8 µg/L
Maximum Depth73 ft70.5 ft
Surface Area3,187 acres494 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1717
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

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 Waverly Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 9.8 ft vs 6.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Clearwater Lake also leads with 17 species.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.