Amherst Millpond vs Fountain Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Fountain Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Amherst Millpond (C, Fair). Both are in Portage County, Wisconsin.
Both Amherst Millpond and Fountain Lake 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 meaningfully apart: Fountain Lake grades a A while Amherst Millpond grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Fountain 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?
Amherst Millpond
No clarity data.
Fountain Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 22 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Amherst Millpond | Fountain Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | No data | 22 ft |
| Phosphorus | 31.3 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 48 acres | 16 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Fountain Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Amherst Millpond's Grade C. For fishing diversity, Fountain Lake also leads with 0 species.