Clearwater Lake vs Fourche Creek Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Fourche Creek Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Clearwater Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Clearwater Lake and Fourche Creek 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. Fourche Creek Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Clearwater Lake (C). 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 — Fourche Creek 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?
Clearwater Lake
Very murky, less than 2.3 ft of visibility.
Fourche Creek Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Fourche Creek Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 2.3 ft | 13.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 20.3 µg/L | 9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.9 µg/L | 1.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 1.6K acres | 49 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Fourche Creek Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Clearwater Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 13.6 ft vs 2.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Fourche Creek Lake also leads with 0 species.