Crow R Mill Pond vs Nest Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Crow R Mill Pond has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Nest Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.
Both Crow R Mill Pond and Nest 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Crow R Mill Pond grades a A while Nest 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 — Crow R Mill Pond 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?
Crow R Mill Pond
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.
Nest Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Crow R Mill Pond | Nest Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 7 ft | 7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 21 µg/L | 30 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 6.7 µg/L | 8.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 14 ft | 40 ft |
| Surface Area | 2,290 acres | 969 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 13 | 19 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Crow R Mill Pond wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Nest Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 7 ft vs 7 ft. For more fish-species variety, Nest Lake edges ahead with 19 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.