Ida Lake vs Smith Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ida Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Smith Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Both Ida Lake and Smith 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: Ida Lake grades a A while Smith 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 — Ida 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?
Ida Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Smith Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ida Lake | Smith Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 16.4 ft | 3.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L | 58 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 106 ft | 30 ft |
| Surface Area | 4.4K acres | 666.33 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 19 | 15 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
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 Smith Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 16.4 ft vs 3.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Ida Lake also leads with 19 species.