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LakeQuality

Franklin Lake vs Kentuck Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Franklin Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Kentuck Lake (B, Good). Both are in Wisconsin.

Franklin Lake and Kentuck Lake are both in Wisconsin — 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 — Franklin Lake (A) versus Kentuck Lake (B). 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.

A

Franklin Lake

Forest County, Wisconsin

Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down.

B

Kentuck Lake

Vilas County, Wisconsin

Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.1 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricFranklin LakeKentuck Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)B (Good)
Water Clarity16 ft9.1 ft
Phosphorus10.8 µg/L24.3 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth46 ft40 ft
Surface Area839 acres1.0K acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateoligotrophicmesotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Franklin Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Kentuck Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 16 ft vs 9.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Franklin Lake also leads with 0 species.