Little Cut Foot Lake vs Shallow Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Shallow Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Little Cut Foot Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.
Little Cut Foot Lake and Shallow 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. Shallow Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Little Cut Foot Lake (D). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
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?
Little Cut Foot Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Shallow Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Little Cut Foot Lake | Shallow Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 6.6 ft | 16.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 20 ft | 85 ft |
| Surface Area | 619.1 acres | 538.95 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| 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 Little Cut Foot Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 16.4 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Shallow Lake also leads with 1 species.