Catclaw Lake vs Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Catclaw Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Jackson County, Wisconsin.
Both Catclaw Lake and Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam sit in Missouri. 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Catclaw Lake (F) versus Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam (D). 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.
Catclaw Lake
No clarity data.
Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Catclaw Lake | Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | No data | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 164 µg/L | 43 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | 18.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 43 acres | 300 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Catclaw Lake's Grade F. For fishing diversity, Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam also leads with 0 species.