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LakeQuality

North Turtle Lake vs Pelican Lake

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

Pelican Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than North Turtle Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.

D

North Turtle Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Murky, only visible to about 3.8 ft.

A

Pelican Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 16.1 ft down.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricNorth Turtle LakePelican Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity3.8 ft16.1 ft
Phosphorus63 µg/L15 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth19 ft55 ft
Surface Area1.8K acres4.0K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1220
Trophic Stateeutrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

Pelican Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus North Turtle Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 16.1 ft vs 3.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Pelican Lake also leads with 20 species.