Mountain Lake vs Wellner-Hageman Reservoir
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Wellner-Hageman Reservoir has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Mountain Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Minnesota.
Mountain Lake and Wellner-Hageman Reservoir 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 close: Mountain Lake (F) and Wellner-Hageman Reservoir (D) 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.
Mountain Lake
Very murky, less than 1.2 ft of visibility.
Wellner-Hageman Reservoir
Murky, only visible to about 3.7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Mountain Lake | Wellner-Hageman Reservoir |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 1.2 ft | 3.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 148.5 µg/L | 45 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | 38.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 230 acres | 71 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Wellner-Hageman Reservoir wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Mountain Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 3.7 ft vs 1.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Wellner-Hageman Reservoir also leads with 1 species.