Pokegama Lake vs Rush Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pokegama Lake and Rush Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Very Poor). Both are in Minnesota.
Both Pokegama Lake and Rush 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Pokegama Lake (F) versus Rush Lake (F). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Pokegama Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Rush Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pokegama Lake | Rush Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2 ft | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 170 µg/L | 55.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 46.8 µg/L | 31.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 25 ft | 24 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,521 acres | 1,494 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 23 | 16 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Pokegama Lake: 2 ft, Rush Lake: 3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Pokegama Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.