Crow River Mill Pond vs Nest Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Crow River Mill Pond has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Nest Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.
Crow River Mill Pond and Nest 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 close: Crow River Mill Pond (B) and Nest Lake (C) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Crow River Mill Pond
Good clarity, visible to about 10.2 ft.
Nest Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.3 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Crow River Mill Pond | Nest Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 10.2 ft | 7.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 30 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 14 ft | 40 ft |
| Surface Area | 2.3K acres | 969.17 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Crow River Mill Pond wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Nest Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 10.2 ft vs 7.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Crow River Mill Pond also leads with 1 species.