Pleasant Lake vs Turtle Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Turtle Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Pleasant Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
Both Pleasant Lake and Turtle 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 meaningfully apart: Turtle Lake grades a A while Pleasant 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 — Turtle 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?
Pleasant Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.6 ft.
Turtle Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pleasant Lake | Turtle Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) Better |
| Water Clarity | 5.6 ft | 7.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 54 µg/L | 22 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 11.6 µg/L | 5.2 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 58 ft Better | 28 ft |
| Surface Area | 607 acres | 450 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 10 | 15 Better |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | 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.
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Compare Pleasant Lake or Turtle Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Turtle Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Pleasant Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 7.5 ft vs 5.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Turtle Lake also leads with 15 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.