Irene Lake vs Miltona Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Miltona Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Irene Lake (B, Good). Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Irene Lake and Miltona 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. The grades are close: Irene Lake (B) and Miltona Lake (A) 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.
Irene Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.8 ft.
Miltona Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18.7 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Irene Lake | Miltona Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 9.8 ft | 18.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 24 µg/L | 18 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7.4 µg/L | 2.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 44 ft | 105 ft |
| Surface Area | 639 acres | 5,731 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 19 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Miltona Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Irene Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 18.7 ft vs 9.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Miltona Lake also leads with 19 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.