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LakeQuality

Little Turtle Lake vs Shallow Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Shallow Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Little Turtle Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.

D

Little Turtle Lake

Itasca County, Minnesota

Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.

A

Shallow Lake

Itasca County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricLittle Turtle LakeShallow Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity6 ft16.4 ft
PhosphorusNo data9 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth29 ft85 ft
Surface Area491.68 acres538.95 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1412
Trophic Stateeutrophicoligotrophic

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 Turtle Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 16.4 ft vs 6 ft. For more fish-species variety, Little Turtle Lake edges ahead with 14 documented species.