Pool of Lake St. Croix vs St. Croix 3.5 Mi. Downstream of E Chestnut St Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pool of Lake St. Croix and St. Croix 3.5 Mi. Downstream of E Chestnut St Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Washington County, Minnesota.
Pool of Lake St. Croix and St. Croix 3.5 Mi. Downstream of E Chestnut St 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Pool of Lake St. Croix (C) versus St. Croix 3.5 Mi. Downstream of E Chestnut St Lake (C). 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.
Pool of Lake St. Croix
Murky, only visible to about 4.3 ft.
St. Croix 3.5 Mi. Downstream of E Chestnut St Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pool of Lake St. Croix | St. Croix 3.5 Mi. Downstream of E Chestnut St Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 4.3 ft | 5.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 39.2 µg/L | 38 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 78 ft | 78 ft |
| Surface Area | 8.4K acres | 8.4K acres |
| Public Access | No | No |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Pool of Lake St. Croix: 4.3 ft, St. Croix 3.5 Mi. Downstream of E Chestnut St Lake: 5.9 ft) and what you want from the lake. Pool of Lake St. Croix matches its peer on species count.