Clearwater Lake vs Shepard Mountain Lake Intake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Shepard Mountain Lake Intake (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Clearwater Lake and Shepard Mountain Lake Intake 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: Clearwater Lake (C) and Shepard Mountain Lake Intake (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.
Clearwater Lake
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility.
Shepard Mountain Lake Intake
Very murky, less than 2.8 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Shepard Mountain Lake Intake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 1.8 ft | 2.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 31.3 µg/L | 37 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 5.8 µg/L | 18.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 1.6K acres | 21 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
Clearwater Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Shepard Mountain Lake Intake's Grade D. Water clarity: 1.8 ft vs 2.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Clearwater Lake also leads with 0 species.