Mille Lacs Lake vs Ml-Peterson Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ml-Peterson Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Mille Lacs Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota.
Both Mille Lacs Lake and Ml-Peterson Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are close: Mille Lacs Lake (C) and Ml-Peterson Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades 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.
Mille Lacs Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9 ft.
Ml-Peterson Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Mille Lacs Lake | Ml-Peterson Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 9 ft | 7.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 26.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | 3.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 42 ft |
| Surface Area | 128.3K acres | 128.3K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Ml-Peterson Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Mille Lacs Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 7.4 ft vs 9 ft. For fishing diversity, Ml-Peterson Lake also leads with 1 species.