Ml Lake vs Smith Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ml Lake and Smith Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of B (Good). Both are in Minnesota.
Both Ml Lake and Smith 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Ml Lake (B) versus Smith Lake (B). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Ml Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.4 ft.
Smith Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ml Lake | Smith Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 7.4 ft | 12.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 25.5 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.9 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 54 ft |
| Surface Area | 128.3K acres | 490.77 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| 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
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Ml Lake: 7.4 ft, Smith Lake: 12.1 ft) and what you want from the lake. Ml Lake matches its peer on species count.