Altoona Lake vs Lake Wissota
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Wissota has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Altoona Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Altoona Lake and Lake Wissota sit in Wisconsin. 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. The grades are close: Altoona Lake (F) and Lake Wissota (D) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Altoona Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Lake Wissota
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Altoona Lake | Lake Wissota |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 3 ft | 3.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 99.6 µg/L | 76.4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 720 acres | 6.2K acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lake Wissota wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Altoona Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 3.5 ft vs 3 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake Wissota also leads with 0 species.