Cedar Lake vs Stephens Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Stephens Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Cedar Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Boone County, Wisconsin.
Cedar Lake and Stephens 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. The grades are close: Cedar Lake (F) and Stephens Lake (D) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Cedar Lake
Very murky, less than 2.1 ft of visibility.
Stephens Lake
Very murky, less than 2.6 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cedar Lake | Stephens Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2.1 ft | 2.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 98 µg/L | 39.7 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 30.8 µg/L | 19.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 21 acres | 11 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Stephens Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Cedar Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.6 ft vs 2.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Stephens Lake also leads with 0 species.