Movil Lake vs Three Island Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Movil Lake and Three Island Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Movil Lake and Three Island 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. These two sit close on the readings, Movil Lake versus Three Island Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With readings 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.
Movil Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft.
Three Island Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Movil Lake | Three Island Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 14 ft Better | 11.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 12 µg/L Better | 17 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 5.3 µg/L | 4.1 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 50 ft Better | 25 ft |
| Surface Area | 855 acres | 729 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 20 Better | 17 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Movil Lake or Three Island Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Movil Lake: 14 ft, Three Island Lake: 11.8 ft) and what you want from the lake. Movil Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.