Emily Lake vs North Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
North Long Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Emily Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Emily Lake and North Long 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 grades are meaningfully apart: North Long Lake grades a A while Emily Lake grades a D. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — North Long Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Emily Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
North Long Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Emily Lake | North Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 3 ft | 15.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 53 µg/L | 14 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 13 ft | 97 ft |
| Surface Area | 720.73 acres | 6.2K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 13 | 18 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
North Long Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Emily Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 15.1 ft vs 3 ft. For fishing diversity, North Long Lake also leads with 18 species.