Swan Lake vs Ten Mile Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Swan Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Ten Mile Lake (B, Good). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Swan Lake and Ten Mile 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Swan Lake (A) versus Ten Mile Lake (B). 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.
Swan Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.1 ft.
Ten Mile Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Swan Lake | Ten Mile Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 12.1 ft | 13.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 17.5 µg/L | 24 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 44 ft | 51 ft |
| Surface Area | 748.9 acres | 1.4K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Swan Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Ten Mile Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 12.1 ft vs 13.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Swan Lake also leads with 1 species.