Francis Lake vs West Sylvia Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
West Sylvia Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Francis Lake. Both are in Minnesota.
Francis Lake and West Sylvia 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. West Sylvia Lake reads materially cleaner than Francis Lake on nutrients and algae. 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 gap in the readings is decisive: West Sylvia Lake has the lower nutrient and algae numbers. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Francis Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft.
West Sylvia Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 22 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Francis Lake | West Sylvia Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 6.5 ft | 22 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 23 µg/L | 8 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 8.9 µg/L | 1.8 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 17 ft | 97 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,053 acres | 904 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 15 Better |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
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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Compare Francis Lake or West Sylvia Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
West Sylvia Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Francis Lake. Water clarity: 22 ft vs 6.5 ft. For fishing diversity, West Sylvia Lake also leads with 15 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.