Kitchi Lake vs Kitchi West Arm Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Kitchi Lake and Kitchi West Arm Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Kitchi Lake and Kitchi West Arm 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Kitchi Lake (C) versus Kitchi West Arm Lake (C). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Kitchi Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.2 ft.
Kitchi West Arm Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Kitchi Lake | Kitchi West Arm Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 8.2 ft | 10.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 23 µg/L | 22.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7.5 µg/L | 7.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 50 ft | 50 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,865 acres | 1,865 acres |
| Public Access | No | No |
| Fish Species | 16 | 16 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Kitchi Lake: 8.2 ft, Kitchi West Arm Lake: 10.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Kitchi Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.