Cedar Lake vs French Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Cedar Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than French Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Rice County, Minnesota.
Cedar Lake and French 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: Cedar Lake (D) and French Lake (F) 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.
Cedar Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
French Lake
Very murky, less than 1.7 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cedar Lake | French Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2 ft | 1.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 83 µg/L | 134 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 56 ft |
| Surface Area | 902.44 acres | 875.81 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 18 | 16 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Cedar Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus French Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2 ft vs 1.7 ft. For fishing diversity, Cedar Lake also leads with 18 species.