Franklin Lake vs Lizzie Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Franklin Lake and Lizzie Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both Franklin Lake and Lizzie 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Franklin Lake (A) versus Lizzie Lake (A). 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.
Franklin Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.1 ft.
Lizzie Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Franklin Lake | Lizzie Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 13.1 ft | 16.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 17 µg/L | 13 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.6 µg/L | 2.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 48 ft | 66 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,088 acres | 1,913 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 18 | 21 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Franklin Lake: 13.1 ft, Lizzie Lake: 16.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Franklin Lake has fewer fish species than Lizzie Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.