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Geneva Lake and Lobster Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Both Geneva Lake and Lobster 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. The readings are close: Geneva Lake and Lobster Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.

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.

Geneva Lake

Douglas County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft.

Lobster Lake

Douglas County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricGeneva LakeLobster Lake
Water Clarity14.1 ft Better13 ft
Phosphorus21.5 µg/L20.5 µg/L Better
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)4.9 µg/L3.6 µg/L Better
Maximum Depth63 ft65 ft Better
Surface Area640 acres1,334 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1718 Better
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

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.

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Geneva Lake: 14.1 ft, Lobster Lake: 13 ft) and what you want from the lake. Geneva Lake has fewer fish species than Lobster Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.