Frances Lake vs Washington Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Frances Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Washington Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
Both Frances Lake and Washington Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are close: Frances Lake (D) 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.
Frances Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.
Washington Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Frances Lake | Washington Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 6 ft | 4.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 23 µg/L | 122 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 20.6 µg/L | 51.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 60 ft | 51 ft |
| Surface Area | 927 acres | 1,516 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 18 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Frances Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Washington Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 6 ft vs 4.5 ft. For more fish-species variety, Washington Lake edges ahead with 18 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.