Johnson Lake vs Willmar Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Willmar Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Johnson Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.
Johnson Lake and Willmar 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: Johnson Lake (F) and Willmar Lake (D) 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.
Johnson Lake
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility.
Willmar Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Johnson Lake | Willmar Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 1.6 ft | 2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 96 µg/L | 72 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 18 ft | 14 ft |
| Surface Area | 2.7K acres | 636.44 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Willmar Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Johnson Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2 ft vs 1.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Willmar Lake also leads with 1 species.