East Sylvia Lake vs West Sylvia Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
East Sylvia Lake and West Sylvia Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Wright County, Minnesota.
Both East Sylvia Lake and West Sylvia 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 Sylvia Lake versus West Sylvia 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 Sylvia Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 21 ft down.
West Sylvia Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 22 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | East Sylvia Lake | West Sylvia Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 21 ft | 22 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 8 µg/L | 8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.2 µg/L | 1.8 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 78 ft | 97 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 669 acres | 904 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 15 Better |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
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 Sylvia Lake or West Sylvia Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (East Sylvia Lake: 21 ft, West Sylvia Lake: 22 ft) and what you want from the lake. East Sylvia Lake has fewer fish species than West Sylvia Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.