Jessie Lake vs Shallow Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Shallow Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Jessie Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.
Both Jessie Lake and Shallow 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: Shallow Lake grades a A while Jessie 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 — Shallow 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?
Jessie Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.5 ft.
Shallow Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Jessie Lake | Shallow Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 8.5 ft | 16.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 30 µg/L | 9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 12.5 µg/L | 3.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 85 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,740 acres | 539 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 | 12 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Shallow Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Jessie Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 16.4 ft vs 8.5 ft. For more fish-species variety, Jessie Lake edges ahead with 15 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.