Peterson Lake vs Stuart Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Stuart Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Peterson Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Peterson Lake and Stuart 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Stuart Lake grades a A while Peterson Lake grades a D. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Stuart Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Peterson Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.
Stuart Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.1 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Peterson Lake | Stuart Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.9 ft | 16.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 12 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 69 ft | 49 ft |
| Surface Area | 2.5K acres | 739.74 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Stuart Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Peterson Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 16.1 ft vs 5.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Stuart Lake also leads with 1 species.