Lake St. Croix vs Pool on Lake St. Croix
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake St. Croix has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Pool on Lake St. Croix (C, Fair). Both are in Washington County, Minnesota.
Both Lake St. Croix and Pool on Lake St. Croix 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Lake St. Croix (B) versus Pool on Lake St. Croix (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.
Lake St. Croix
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft.
Pool on Lake St. Croix
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake St. Croix | Pool on Lake St. Croix |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 5.2 ft | 5.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 18 µg/L | 32.9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 78 ft | 78 ft |
| Surface Area | 8.4K acres | 8.4K acres |
| Public Access | No | No |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lake St. Croix wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Pool on Lake St. Croix's Grade C. Water clarity: 5.2 ft vs 5.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake St. Croix also leads with 1 species.