Maple Lake vs Villard Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Maple Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Villard Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Minnesota.
Maple Lake and Villard 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. Maple Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Villard Lake (C). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Maple 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?
Maple Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.7 ft.
Villard Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Maple Lake | Villard Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 13.7 ft | 4.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 33 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 78 ft | 16 ft |
| Surface Area | 830.87 acres | 544.39 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Maple Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Villard Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 13.7 ft vs 4.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Maple Lake also leads with 1 species.