Ml-Ditch 36 Lake vs Round Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Round Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Ml-Ditch 36 Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
Ml-Ditch 36 Lake and Round 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. Round Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Ml-Ditch 36 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 — Round 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?
Ml-Ditch 36 Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft.
Round Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.3 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ml-Ditch 36 Lake | Round Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.7 ft | 15.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 23.5 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 5.2 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 59 ft |
| Surface Area | 128.3K acres | 634.03 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Round Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Ml-Ditch 36 Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 15.3 ft vs 5.7 ft. For fishing diversity, Round Lake also leads with 1 species.