Curtis Lake vs Del Clark Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Curtis Lake and Del Clark Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of D (Poor). Both are in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota.
Curtis Lake and Del Clark 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 — Curtis Lake (D) versus Del Clark Lake (D). 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.
Curtis Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft.
Del Clark Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Curtis Lake | Del Clark Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 4 ft | 5 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 440 acres | 160 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade D. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Curtis Lake: 4 ft, Del Clark Lake: 5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Curtis Lake has fewer fish species than Del Clark Lake.