Frances Lake vs Scotch Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Frances Lake and Scotch Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
Both Frances Lake and Scotch Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. These two sit close on the readings, Frances Lake versus Scotch Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Frances Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.
Scotch Lake
Very murky, less than 2.6 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Frances Lake | Scotch Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 6 ft Better | 2.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 23 µg/L Better | 569 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 20.6 µg/L | 9.7 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 60 ft Better | 11 ft |
| Surface Area | 927 acres | 598 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 Better | 5 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
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.
Swap a lake
Compare Frances Lake or Scotch Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade D. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Frances Lake: 6 ft, Scotch Lake: 2.6 ft) and what you want from the lake. Frances Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.