Minnewashta Lake vs Swede Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Minnewashta Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Swede Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Carver County, Minnesota.
Minnewashta Lake and Swede 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: Minnewashta Lake grades a A while Swede 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 — Minnewashta 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?
Minnewashta Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.5 ft.
Swede Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Minnewashta Lake | Swede Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 11.5 ft | 2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L | 134 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.3 µg/L | 76.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 70 ft | 12 ft |
| Surface Area | 680 acres | 433 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 9 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | hypereutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Minnewashta Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Swede Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 11.5 ft vs 2 ft. For fishing diversity, Minnewashta Lake also leads with 14 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.