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LakeQuality

Lake George has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Crooked Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Steuben County, Indiana.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Crooked Lake and Lake George are both in Indiana — 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 meaningfully apart: Lake George grades a A while Crooked Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.

For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Lake George 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?

C

Crooked Lake

Steuben County, Indiana

No clarity data.

A

Lake George

Steuben County, Indiana

Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricCrooked LakeLake George
Overall GradeC (Fair)A (Excellent) Better
Water ClarityNo data14.5 ft
Phosphorus29 µg/L22 µg/L Better
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)3.3 µg/L2 µg/L Better
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area801 acres538 acres
Public AccessUnknownYes
Fish Species00
Trophic Statemesotrophicoligotrophic

A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.

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Verdict

Lake George wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Crooked Lake's Grade C. For fishing diversity, Lake George also leads with 0 species.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.