Riley Lake vs Silver Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Riley Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Silver Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Riley Lake and Silver 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 close: Riley Lake (B) and Silver Lake (C) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Riley Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.6 ft.
Silver Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Riley Lake | Silver Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 12.6 ft | 5.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 20 µg/L | 58 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 296 acres | 32 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Riley Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Silver Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 12.6 ft vs 5.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Riley Lake also leads with 1 species.