Riley Lake vs Snelling Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Riley Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Snelling Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Both Riley Lake and Snelling 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. Riley Lake (B) is materially cleaner than Snelling Lake (F). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Riley 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?
Riley Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.6 ft.
Snelling Lake
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Riley Lake | Snelling Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 12.6 ft | 1.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 20 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 296 acres | 103 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| 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 Snelling Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 12.6 ft vs 1.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Riley Lake also leads with 1 species.