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East Solomon Lake and Long Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Both East Solomon Lake and Long 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. These two sit close on the readings, East Solomon Lake versus Long Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.

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 Solomon Lake

Kandiyohi County, Minnesota

Very murky, less than 2.6 ft of visibility.

Long Lake

Kandiyohi County, Minnesota

Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricEast Solomon LakeLong Lake
Water Clarity2.6 ft5 ft Better
Phosphorus79 µg/L Better92 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)44.7 µg/L42.3 µg/L Better
Maximum Depth14 ft16 ft Better
Surface Area658 acres1,573 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1516 Better
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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.

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (East Solomon Lake: 2.6 ft, Long Lake: 5 ft) and what you want from the lake. East Solomon Lake has fewer fish species than Long Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.