South Turtle Lake vs Unnamed Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Unnamed Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than South Turtle Lake (B, Good). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
South Turtle Lake and Unnamed 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: South Turtle Lake (B) and Unnamed Lake (A) 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.
South Turtle Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft.
Unnamed Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | South Turtle Lake | Unnamed Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 14.1 ft | 15.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 20 µg/L | 9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 35 ft | 95 ft |
| Surface Area | 836.57 acres | 1.4K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Unnamed Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus South Turtle Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 15.1 ft vs 14.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Unnamed Lake also leads with 1 species.