Maple Lake vs Turtle Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Maple Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Turtle Lake. Both are in Polk County, Minnesota.
Maple Lake and Turtle 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 close: Maple Lake and Turtle Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings 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.
Maple Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Turtle Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Maple Lake | Turtle Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 3.3 ft Better | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 38.5 µg/L Better | 58.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 17.8 µg/L Better | 25.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 14 ft Better | 12 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,641 acres | 525 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 Better | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
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.
Verdict
Maple Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Turtle Lake. Water clarity: 3.3 ft vs 3 ft. For fishing diversity, Maple Lake also leads with 12 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.