Pool on Lake St. Croix vs Spring Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pool on Lake St. Croix has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Spring Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Minnesota.
Pool on Lake St. Croix and Spring 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: Pool on Lake St. Croix grades a C while Spring Lake grades a F. 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 — Pool on Lake St. Croix 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?
Pool on Lake St. Croix
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.
Spring Lake
Very murky, less than 2.1 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pool on Lake St. Croix | Spring Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 5.9 ft | 2.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 32.9 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 78 ft | 17 ft |
| Surface Area | 8.4K acres | 1.5K acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| 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
Pool on Lake St. Croix wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Spring Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 5.9 ft vs 2.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Pool on Lake St. Croix also leads with 1 species.