Farm Lake vs White Iron Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Farm Lake and White Iron Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). 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 grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Farm Lake (A) versus White Iron Lake (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With grades 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.5 ft | 4.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.7 µg/L | 3.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 56 ft | 47 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,292 acres | 3,237 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 | 10 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
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.