Pomme de Terre Lake vs Ten Mile Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ten Mile Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Pomme de Terre Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Minnesota.
Both Pomme de Terre Lake and Ten Mile 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: Ten Mile Lake grades a B while Pomme de Terre 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 — Ten Mile 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?
Pomme de Terre Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft.
Ten Mile Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pomme de Terre Lake | Ten Mile Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 4.5 ft | 13.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 24 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 23 ft | 51 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,816 acres | 1,428 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 22 | 19 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Ten Mile Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Pomme de Terre Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 13.6 ft vs 4.5 ft. For more fish-species variety, Pomme de Terre Lake edges ahead with 22 documented species.