Foot Lake vs Willmar Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Foot Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Willmar Lake. Both are in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.
Foot 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. The readings are close: Foot Lake and Willmar Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings 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.
Willmar Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Foot Lake | Willmar Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 2.3 ft Better | 2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 54.5 µg/L Better | 73 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 20.5 µg/L Better | 27.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 24 ft Better | 14 ft |
| Surface Area | 503 acres | 636 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 | 18 Better |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Verdict
Foot Lake and Willmar Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Foot Lake: 2.3 ft, Willmar Lake: 2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Foot Lake has fewer fish species than Willmar Lake.
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Where to stay near Foot Lake and Willmar Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.