Farm Lake vs White Iron Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Farm Lake and White Iron Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.
Both Farm Lake and White Iron 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, Farm Lake versus White Iron 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.
White Iron Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Farm Lake | White Iron Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 5.5 ft Better | 4.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L Better | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.7 µg/L | 3.7 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 56 ft Better | 47 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,292 acres | 3,237 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 Better | 10 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
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 White Iron Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Farm Lake: 5.5 ft, White Iron Lake: 4.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Farm Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.