Foot Lake vs Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Foot Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Long Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.
Foot Lake and Long 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Foot Lake (D) versus Long Lake (F). 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.
Foot Lake
Very murky, less than 2.3 ft of visibility.
Long Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Foot Lake | Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2.3 ft | 5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 54.5 µg/L | 92 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 20.5 µg/L | 42.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 24 ft | 16 ft |
| Surface Area | 503 acres | 1,573 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 | 16 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Foot Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Long Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.3 ft vs 5 ft. For more fish-species variety, Long Lake edges ahead with 16 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.