Ashland Lake vs Binder Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Binder Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Ashland Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Ashland Lake and Binder Lake are both in Missouri — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Ashland Lake (F) versus Binder Lake (D). 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.
Ashland Lake
Very murky, less than 1.9 ft of visibility.
Binder Lake
Very murky, less than 2.1 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ashland Lake | Binder Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 1.9 ft | 2.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 90.2 µg/L | 54.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 39 µg/L | 32.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 29 acres | 138 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
Binder Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Ashland Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.1 ft vs 1.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Binder Lake also leads with 0 species.