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LakeQuality

Brookfield Lake vs Jo Shelby Lake

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

Brookfield Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Jo Shelby Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Linn County, Wisconsin.

Brookfield Lake and Jo Shelby 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 — Brookfield Lake (B) versus Jo Shelby Lake (C). 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.

B

Brookfield Lake

Linn County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft.

C

Jo Shelby Lake

Linn County, Wisconsin

No clarity data.

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.

MetricBrookfield LakeJo Shelby Lake
Overall GradeB (Good)C (Fair)
Water Clarity4.4 ftNo data
Phosphorus19.7 µg/L48 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)4.9 µg/L15 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area106 acres31 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Brookfield Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Jo Shelby Lake's Grade C. For fishing diversity, Brookfield Lake also leads with 0 species.