Altoona Lake vs Lake Wissota
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Altoona Lake and Lake Wissota both received the same overall water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). 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 (D) and Lake Wissota (D) are within one letter of each other on our A–F scale. 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 | D (Nutrient-rich) | D (Nutrient-rich) |
| Water Clarity | 3 ft | 3.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 99.6 µg/L | 76.4 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 25 ft | 64.4 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 720 acres | 6,148 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 4 | 8 Better |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
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 Altoona Lake or Lake Wissota against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade D. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Altoona Lake: 3 ft, Lake Wissota: 3.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Altoona Lake has fewer fish species than Lake Wissota.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.