Marquette Lake vs Plantagenet Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Plantagenet Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Marquette Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Minnesota.
Both Marquette Lake and Plantagenet 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. Plantagenet Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Marquette Lake (C). 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 grade gap is decisive — Plantagenet Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Marquette Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.2 ft.
Plantagenet Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Marquette Lake | Plantagenet Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 9.2 ft | 7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 24 µg/L | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 8.9 µg/L | 6.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 51 ft | 65 ft |
| Surface Area | 528 acres | 2,531 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 18 | 20 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Plantagenet Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Marquette Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 7 ft vs 9.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Plantagenet Lake also leads with 20 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.