East Sarah Lake vs Sarah Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
East Sarah Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Sarah Lake. Both are in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
East Sarah Lake and Sarah 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. The readings are close: East Sarah Lake and Sarah 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 Sarah Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Sarah Lake
Very murky, less than 3.1 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | East Sarah Lake | Sarah Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 3.5 ft Better | 3.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 128.5 µg/L | 106.1 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | 34.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 59 ft | 59 ft |
| Surface Area | 557 acres | 557 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 13 | 13 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
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 Sarah Lake or Sarah Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
East Sarah Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Sarah Lake. Water clarity: 3.5 ft vs 3.1 ft. For fishing diversity, East Sarah Lake also leads with 13 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.