Lobster Lake vs Mill Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lobster Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Mill Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Both Lobster Lake and Mill 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: Lobster Lake grades a A while Mill 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 — Lobster 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?
Lobster Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.
Mill Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lobster Lake | Mill Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) Better | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 13 ft Better | 11 ft |
| Phosphorus | 20.5 µg/L Better | 23 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.6 µg/L Better | 9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 65 ft Better | 40 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,334 acres | 451 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 18 Better | 15 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Compare Lobster Lake or Mill Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Lobster Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Mill Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 13 ft vs 11 ft. For fishing diversity, Lobster Lake also leads with 18 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.