Farm Lake vs Silver Island Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Farm Lake and Silver Island Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.
Farm Lake and Silver Island 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. These two sit close on the readings, Farm Lake versus Silver Island 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.
Farm Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft.
Silver Island Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Farm Lake | Silver Island Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 5.5 ft Better | 4.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L Better | 22 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.7 µg/L Better | 5.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 56 ft Better | 16 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,292 acres | 1,239 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 Better | 11 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | 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 Farm Lake or Silver Island Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Farm Lake: 5.5 ft, Silver Island Lake: 4.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Farm Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.