German Lake vs Gorman Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
German Lake and Gorman Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Both are in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
German Lake and Gorman 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 are within a letter of each other on the rubric — German Lake (F) versus Gorman Lake (F). 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.
German Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Gorman Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | German Lake | Gorman Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Algae-prone) | F (Algae-prone) |
| Water Clarity | 3.5 ft | 3.7 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 74 µg/L Better | 531.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 61.9 µg/L | 47 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 51 ft Better | 14 ft |
| Surface Area | 889 acres | 521 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 19 Better | 16 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
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 German Lake or Gorman Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (German Lake: 3.5 ft, Gorman Lake: 3.7 ft) and what you want from the lake. German Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.