Greenwood Lake vs Pine Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pine Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Greenwood Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Minnesota.
Both Greenwood Lake and Pine 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: Pine Lake grades a A while Greenwood 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 — Pine 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?
Greenwood Lake
Very murky, less than 2.1 ft of visibility.
Pine Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Greenwood Lake | Pine Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 2.1 ft | 7.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 27.5 µg/L | 15.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 5.9 µg/L | 3.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 7 ft | 14 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,329 acres | 450 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 7 | 8 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pine Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Greenwood Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 7.5 ft vs 2.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Pine Lake also leads with 8 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.