Irving Lake vs Marquette Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Irving Lake and Marquette Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Both Irving Lake and Marquette Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. These two sit close on the readings, Irving Lake versus Marquette Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With readings 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.
Irving Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.6 ft.
Marquette Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Irving Lake | Marquette Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 5.6 ft | 9.2 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 32 µg/L | 24 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 10.2 µg/L | 8.9 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 19 ft | 51 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 662 acres | 528 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 20 Better | 18 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
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 Irving Lake or Marquette Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Irving Lake: 5.6 ft, Marquette Lake: 9.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Irving Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.