Tetonka Lake vs Upper Sakatah Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Tetonka Lake and Upper Sakatah Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
Both Tetonka Lake and Upper Sakatah Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. These two sit close on the readings, Tetonka Lake versus Upper Sakatah Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With readings 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.
Tetonka Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Upper Sakatah Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Tetonka Lake | Upper Sakatah Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 3 ft | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 289 µg/L Better | 303 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 48 µg/L Better | 76.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 35 ft Better | 12 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,358 acres | 892 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 19 Better | 14 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | hypereutrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Tetonka Lake or Upper Sakatah Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Tetonka Lake: 3 ft, Upper Sakatah Lake: 3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Tetonka Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.