Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Florida Lake vs Willmar Lake

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

Florida Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Willmar Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Florida Lake and Willmar 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. Florida Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Willmar Lake (D). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.

For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Florida Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?

A

Florida Lake

Kandiyohi County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 12.3 ft.

D

Willmar Lake

Kandiyohi County, Minnesota

Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricFlorida LakeWillmar Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)D (Poor)
Water Clarity12.3 ft2 ft
Phosphorus20 µg/L73 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)3.8 µg/L27.6 µg/L
Maximum Depth40 ft14 ft
Surface Area705 acres636 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1818
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Florida Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Willmar Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 12.3 ft vs 2 ft. For fishing diversity, Florida Lake also leads with 18 species.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.