Sleepy Eye Lake vs Wellner-Hageman Reservoir
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Wellner-Hageman Reservoir has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Sleepy Eye Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Brown County, Minnesota.
Both Sleepy Eye Lake and Wellner-Hageman Reservoir 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 — Sleepy Eye Lake (D) versus Wellner-Hageman Reservoir (D). 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.
Sleepy Eye Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Wellner-Hageman Reservoir
Murky, only visible to about 3.7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Sleepy Eye Lake | Wellner-Hageman Reservoir |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 3.3 ft | 3.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 39.5 µg/L | 45 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 41.7 µg/L | 38.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 227 acres | 71 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| 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
Wellner-Hageman Reservoir wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Sleepy Eye Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 3.7 ft vs 3.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Wellner-Hageman Reservoir also leads with 1 species.