Cedar Lake vs Finger Lakes
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Finger Lakes has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Cedar Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Boone County, Wisconsin.
Both Cedar Lake and Finger Lakes 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. Finger Lakes (B) is materially cleaner than Cedar 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 — Finger Lakes 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?
Cedar Lake
Very murky, less than 2.1 ft of visibility.
Finger Lakes
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cedar Lake | Finger Lakes |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 2.1 ft | 7.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 98 µg/L | 16.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 30.8 µg/L | 6.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 21 acres | 79 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
Finger Lakes wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Cedar Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 7.9 ft vs 2.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Finger Lakes also leads with 0 species.