Upper Red Lake: East Central vs Upper Red Lake: West-Central
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Upper Red Lake: East Central and Upper Red Lake: West-Central both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Upper Red Lake: East Central and Upper Red Lake: West-Central 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 — Upper Red Lake: East Central (C) versus Upper Red Lake: West-Central (C). 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.
Upper Red Lake: East Central
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Upper Red Lake: West-Central
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Upper Red Lake: East Central | Upper Red Lake: West-Central |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 2 ft | 2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 39 µg/L | 41.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 13.4 µg/L | 13.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 15 ft | 15 ft |
| Surface Area | 119,294 acres | 119,294 acres |
| Public Access | No | No |
| Fish Species | 15 | 15 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Upper Red Lake: East Central: 2 ft, Upper Red Lake: West-Central: 2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Upper Red Lake: East Central matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.