Clearwater Lake vs Waverly Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Waverly Lake. Both are in Wright County, Minnesota.
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 readings are meaningfully apart: Clearwater Lake carries clearly lower phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings than Waverly Lake. A spread that wide reflects real underlying differences, in watershed inputs, depth profiles, or monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider gap in the readings is decisive: Clearwater Lake has the lower nutrient and algae numbers. 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
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.8 ft.
Waverly Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Waverly Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 9.8 ft Better | 6.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 22 µg/L Better | 29 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 6.3 µg/L Better | 8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 73 ft Better | 70.5 ft |
| Surface Area | 3,187 acres | 494 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 17 | 17 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Verdict
Clearwater Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Waverly Lake. Water clarity: 9.8 ft vs 6.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Clearwater Lake also leads with 17 species.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.