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LakeQuality

Eagle Lake vs Washington Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Washington Lake has a higher water quality grade (F, Very Poor) than Eagle Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Minnesota.

Eagle Lake and Washington 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: Eagle Lake (F) and Washington 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.

F

Eagle Lake

Blue Earth County, Minnesota

Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility.

F

Washington Lake

Le Sueur County, Minnesota

Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricEagle LakeWashington Lake
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity1 ft4.5 ft
PhosphorusNo data121 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data48.1 µg/L
Maximum Depth9 ft51 ft
Surface Area898.23 acres1.5K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species01
Trophic Statehypereutrophiceutrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Washington Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade F versus Eagle Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 4.5 ft vs 1 ft. For fishing diversity, Washington Lake also leads with 1 species.