Franklin Lake vs Kentuck Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Franklin Lake and Kentuck Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. 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 sit close on the readings, Franklin Lake versus Kentuck 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.
Franklin Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down.
Kentuck Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Franklin Lake | Kentuck Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 16 ft Better | 9.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 11.3 µg/L Better | 24.3 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 46 ft Better | 40 ft |
| Surface Area | 839 acres | 1,001 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 5 | 5 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
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 Franklin Lake or Kentuck Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Franklin Lake: 16 ft, Kentuck Lake: 9.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Franklin Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.