Callaway Fork Lake vs Sherwood Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Sherwood Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Callaway Fork Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Callaway Fork Lake and Sherwood 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. Sherwood Lake (B) is materially cleaner than Callaway Fork Lake (D). 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 — Sherwood Lake 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?
Callaway Fork Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Sherwood Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Callaway Fork Lake | Sherwood Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 3.3 ft | 4.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 39.5 µg/L | 17.8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 12.5 µg/L | 4.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 154 acres | 145 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
Sherwood Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Callaway Fork Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 4.9 ft vs 3.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Sherwood Lake also leads with 0 species.