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LakeQuality

Diamond Lake vs Green Lake

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

Green Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Diamond Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.

Diamond Lake and Green 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. Green Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Diamond Lake (D). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.

For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Green Lake 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?

D

Diamond Lake

Kandiyohi County, Minnesota

Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.

A

Green Lake

Kandiyohi County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 13.1 ft.

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.

MetricDiamond LakeGreen Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity5 ft13.1 ft
Phosphorus68 µg/L14 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area1.7K acres5.6K acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species11
Trophic Stateeutrophicmesotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Green Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Diamond Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 13.1 ft vs 5 ft. For fishing diversity, Green Lake also leads with 1 species.