Gorman Lake vs Scotch Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Scotch Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Nutrient-rich) than Gorman Lake (F, Algae-prone). Both are in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
Gorman Lake and Scotch 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 — Gorman Lake (F) versus Scotch Lake (D). 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.
Gorman Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.7 ft.
Scotch Lake
Very murky, less than 2.6 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Gorman Lake | Scotch Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Algae-prone) | D (Nutrient-rich) Better |
| Water Clarity | 3.7 ft Better | 2.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 531.5 µg/L Better | 569 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 47 µg/L | 9.7 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 14 ft Better | 11 ft |
| Surface Area | 521 acres | 598 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 Better | 5 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | 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 Gorman Lake or Scotch Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Scotch Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Gorman Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.6 ft vs 3.7 ft. For more fish-species variety, Gorman Lake edges ahead with 16 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.