Ida Lake vs Mary Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ida Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Mary Lake (B, Good). Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Both Ida Lake and Mary 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 close: Ida Lake (A) and Mary Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Ida Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Mary Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ida Lake | Mary Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 16.4 ft | 10.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 106 ft | 40 ft |
| Surface Area | 4.4K acres | 2.5K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 19 | 17 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Ida Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Mary Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 16.4 ft vs 10.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Ida Lake also leads with 19 species.