Big Swan Lake vs Francis Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Francis Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Big Swan Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Meeker County, Minnesota.
Big Swan Lake and Francis 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: Big Swan Lake (D) and Francis Lake (C) 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.
Big Swan Lake
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.
Francis Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Swan Lake | Francis Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 2.5 ft | 6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 84 µg/L | 25 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 32 ft | 17 ft |
| Surface Area | 683.85 acres | 1.1K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| 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
Francis Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Big Swan Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 6 ft vs 2.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Francis Lake also leads with 1 species.