Normandale Lake vs Riley Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Riley Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Normandale Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Both Normandale Lake and Riley 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. The grades are close: Normandale Lake (C) and Riley Lake (B) 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.
Normandale Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Riley Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Normandale Lake | Riley Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 3.5 ft | 12.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 57 µg/L | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 82 acres | 296 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Riley Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Normandale Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 12.6 ft vs 3.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Riley Lake also leads with 1 species.