First Silver Lake vs North Turtle Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
First Silver Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than North Turtle Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both First Silver Lake and North Turtle 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: First Silver Lake grades a A while North Turtle Lake grades a C. 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 — First Silver 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?
First Silver Lake
No clarity data.
North Turtle Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | First Silver Lake | North Turtle Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | No data | 4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 16 µg/L | 54.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 43 ft | 19 ft |
| Surface Area | 529.36 acres | 1.8K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 13 | 12 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
First Silver Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus North Turtle Lake's Grade C. For fishing diversity, First Silver Lake also leads with 13 species.