East Graham Lake vs West Graham Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
East Graham Lake and West Graham Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). 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 grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are close: East Graham Lake (F) and West Graham Lake (F) 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Algae-prone) | F (Algae-prone) |
| 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.
Swap a lake
Compare East Graham Lake or West Graham Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade F. 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.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.