East Graham Lake vs West Graham Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
West Graham Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than East Graham Lake. Both are in Nobles County, Minnesota.
Both East Graham Lake and West Graham Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: East Graham Lake and West Graham Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings 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.
East Graham Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
West Graham Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | East Graham Lake | West Graham Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 3.3 ft | 4.1 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 184 µg/L | 182 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 80.1 µg/L Better | 110.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 8 ft | 8 ft |
| Surface Area | 511 acres | 519 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 | 17 Better |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | hypereutrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Verdict
East Graham Lake and West Graham Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (East Graham Lake: 3.3 ft, West Graham Lake: 4.1 ft) and what you want from the lake. East Graham Lake has fewer fish species than West Graham Lake.
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Where to stay near East Graham Lake and West Graham Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.