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LakeQuality

Ml-Malone Lake vs Outlet of Onamia Lake on the Rum River

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Outlet of Onamia Lake on the Rum River has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Ml-Malone Lake (B, Good). Both are in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota.

Both Ml-Malone Lake and Outlet of Onamia Lake on the Rum River 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: Ml-Malone Lake (B) and Outlet of Onamia Lake on the Rum River (A) 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.

B

Ml-Malone Lake

Mille Lacs County, Minnesota

Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft.

A

Outlet of Onamia Lake on the Rum River

Mille Lacs County, Minnesota

No clarity data.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricMl-Malone LakeOutlet of Onamia Lake on the Rum River
Overall GradeB (Good)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity5.7 ftNo data
Phosphorus24 µg/L25 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)4.4 µg/L0.6 µg/L
Maximum Depth42 ft10 ft
Surface Area128.3K acres1.0K acres
Public AccessYesNo
Fish Species10
Trophic Statemesotrophicoligotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Outlet of Onamia Lake on the Rum River wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Ml-Malone Lake's Grade B. For more fish-species variety, Ml-Malone Lake edges ahead with 1 documented species.