Ashland Lake vs Finger Lakes
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Finger Lakes has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Ashland Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Boone County, Wisconsin.
Ashland Lake and Finger Lakes 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. Finger Lakes (B) is materially cleaner than Ashland Lake (F). 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 — Finger Lakes 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?
Ashland Lake
Very murky, less than 1.9 ft of visibility.
Finger Lakes
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ashland Lake | Finger Lakes |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 1.9 ft | 7.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 90.2 µg/L | 16.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 39 µg/L | 6.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 29 acres | 79 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Finger Lakes wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Ashland Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 7.9 ft vs 1.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Finger Lakes also leads with 0 species.