Silver Island Lake vs Wilson Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Wilson Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Silver Island Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.
Both Silver Island Lake and Wilson 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. Wilson Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Silver Island Lake (C). 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 — Wilson 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?
Silver Island Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft.
Wilson Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Silver Island Lake | Wilson Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 4.4 ft | 10.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 21 µg/L | 13 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 16 ft | 53 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.2K acres | 650.23 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 11 | 4 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Wilson Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Silver Island Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 10.7 ft vs 4.4 ft. For more fish-species variety, Silver Island Lake edges ahead with 11 documented species.