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LakeQuality

Franklin Lake vs Lizzie Lake

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

Lizzie Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Franklin Lake (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.

A

Franklin Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 13.1 ft.

A

Lizzie Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.

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 LakeLizzie Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity13.1 ft16.4 ft
Phosphorus17 µg/L13 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth48 ft66 ft
Surface Area1.1K acres1.9K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species11
Trophic Statemesotrophicoligotrophic

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

Verdict

Lizzie Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Franklin Lake's Grade A. Water clarity: 16.4 ft vs 13.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Lizzie Lake also leads with 1 species.