Long Lake vs Turtle River Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Turtle River Lake. Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Long Lake and Turtle River 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. The readings are meaningfully apart: Long Lake carries clearly lower phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings than Turtle River Lake. A spread that wide reflects real underlying differences, in watershed inputs, depth profiles, or monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider gap in the readings is decisive: Long Lake has the lower nutrient and algae numbers. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Long Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down.
Turtle River Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Long Lake | Turtle River Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 20 ft Better | 8.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 7 µg/L Better | 18.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.8 µg/L Better | 7.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 87 ft Better | 63 ft |
| Surface Area | 412 acres | 1,740 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 11 | 20 Better |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | 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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Verdict
Long Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Turtle River Lake. Water clarity: 20 ft vs 8.5 ft. For more fish-species variety, Turtle River Lake edges ahead with 20 documented species.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.