Johanna Lake vs Minnewaska Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Minnewaska Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Johanna Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Pope County, Minnesota.
Johanna Lake and Minnewaska 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: Johanna Lake (C) and Minnewaska 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.
Johanna Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.9 ft.
Minnewaska Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Johanna Lake | Minnewaska Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 4.9 ft | 11.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 35.5 µg/L | 23.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 10 ft | 32 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.4K acres | 8.1K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Minnewaska Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Johanna Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 11.2 ft vs 4.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Minnewaska Lake also leads with 1 species.