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LakeQuality

Lower Prior Lake vs Upper Prior Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Lower Prior Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Upper Prior Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Scott County, Minnesota.

B

Lower Prior Lake

Scott County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft.

C

Upper Prior Lake

Scott County, Minnesota

Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricLower Prior LakeUpper Prior Lake
Overall GradeB (Good)C (Fair)
Water Clarity9.5 ft6 ft
Phosphorus26.8 µg/L32.7 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth60 ft50 ft
Surface Area956.16 acres386.26 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1516
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Lower Prior Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Upper Prior Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 9.5 ft vs 6 ft. For more fish-species variety, Upper Prior Lake edges ahead with 16 documented species.