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LakeQuality

Del Clark Lake vs Shaokotan Lake

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

Del Clark Lake and Shaokotan Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of D (Poor). Both are in Minnesota.

Both Del Clark Lake and Shaokotan 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 close: Del Clark Lake (D) and Shaokotan Lake (D) 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.

D

Del Clark Lake

Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota

Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.

D

Shaokotan Lake

Lincoln County, Minnesota

Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricDel Clark LakeShaokotan Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)D (Poor)
Water Clarity5 ft3 ft
PhosphorusNo data51.5 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area160 acres994 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species11
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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 (Del Clark Lake: 5 ft, Shaokotan Lake: 3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Del Clark Lake matches its peer on species count.