Emily Lake vs Ossawinnamakee Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ossawinnamakee Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Emily Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Both Emily Lake and Ossawinnamakee 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 meaningfully apart: Ossawinnamakee 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 — Ossawinnamakee 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.
Ossawinnamakee Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Emily Lake | Ossawinnamakee Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 3 ft | 20 ft |
| Phosphorus | 53 µg/L | 10 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 694 acres | 662 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Ossawinnamakee Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Emily Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 20 ft vs 3 ft. For fishing diversity, Ossawinnamakee Lake also leads with 1 species.