Long Lake vs Mill Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Mill Lake (B, Good). Both are in Becker County, Minnesota.
Both Long 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 close: Long Lake (A) and Mill Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Long Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down.
Mill Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Long Lake | Mill Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 20 ft | 8.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 8 µg/L | 16 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 45 acres | 160 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Long Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Mill Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 20 ft vs 8.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Long Lake also leads with 1 species.