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LakeQuality

Clearwater Lake Nr. Dam vs Ripley County Lake

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

Ripley County Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Clearwater Lake Nr. Dam (B, Good). Both are in Wisconsin.

Both Clearwater Lake Nr. Dam and Ripley County Lake 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. The grades are close: Clearwater Lake Nr. Dam (B) and Ripley County Lake (B) 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.

B

Clearwater Lake Nr. Dam

Wayne County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft.

B

Ripley County Lake

Ripley County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.

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.

MetricClearwater Lake Nr. DamRipley County Lake
Overall GradeB (Good)B (Good)
Water Clarity5.7 ft6.6 ft
Phosphorus15.7 µg/L11 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)3.7 µg/L2.6 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area1.6K acres20 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

Ripley County Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Clearwater Lake Nr. Dam's Grade B. Water clarity: 6.6 ft vs 5.7 ft. For fishing diversity, Ripley County Lake also leads with 0 species.