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LakeQuality

Barrett Pond vs Lake Carmel

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Barrett Pond has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Lake Carmel (D, Poor). Both are in Putnam County, Wisconsin.

Both Barrett Pond and Lake Carmel sit in New York. 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: Barrett Pond grades a B while Lake Carmel grades a D. 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 — Barrett 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?

B

Barrett Pond

Putnam County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 14.4 ft.

D

Lake Carmel

Putnam County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 5.6 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricBarrett PondLake Carmel
Overall GradeB (Good)D (Poor)
Water Clarity14.4 ft5.6 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area70 acres240 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateoligotrophiceutrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Barrett Pond wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Lake Carmel's Grade D. Water clarity: 14.4 ft vs 5.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Barrett Pond also leads with 0 species.