Lizzie Lake vs Tamarac Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lizzie Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Tamarac Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both Lizzie Lake and Tamarac Lake 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Lizzie Lake grades a A while Tamarac Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Lizzie 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?
Lizzie Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Tamarac Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lizzie Lake | Tamarac Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 16.4 ft | 6.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 13 µg/L | 31.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 66 ft | 11 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.9K acres | 444.68 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lizzie Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Tamarac Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 16.4 ft vs 6.4 ft. For fishing diversity, Lizzie Lake also leads with 1 species.