Long Meadow Lake vs Riley Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Riley Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Long Meadow Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Long Meadow Lake and Riley 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 grades are meaningfully apart: Riley Lake grades a B while Long Meadow Lake grades a F. 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 — Riley 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?
Long Meadow Lake
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility.
Riley Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Long Meadow Lake | Riley Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 1.6 ft | 12.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 530 acres | 296 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Riley Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Long Meadow Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 12.6 ft vs 1.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Riley Lake also leads with 1 species.