Ashland Lake vs Mckee Pond
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Mckee Pond has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Ashland Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Boone County, Wisconsin.
Ashland Lake and Mckee Pond 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. Mckee Pond (C) 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 — Mckee Pond 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.
Mckee Pond
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ashland Lake | Mckee Pond |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 1.9 ft | 3.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 90.2 µg/L | 56 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 39 µg/L | 18.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 29 acres | 13 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
Mckee Pond wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Ashland Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 3.3 ft vs 1.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Mckee Pond also leads with 0 species.