Prairie Lake vs Tamarac Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Prairie Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Tamarac Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both Prairie Lake and Tamarac 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 — Prairie Lake (B) versus Tamarac 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.
Prairie Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.9 ft.
Tamarac Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Prairie Lake | Tamarac Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) Better | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 8.9 ft Better | 6.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 18 µg/L Better | 33 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7.3 µg/L Better | 10.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 22 ft Better | 11 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,004 acres | 445 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 Better | 11 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
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.
Swap a lake
Compare Prairie Lake or Tamarac Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Prairie Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Tamarac Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 8.9 ft vs 6.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Prairie Lake also leads with 15 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.