Deer Lake vs Lake Carey
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Deer Lake and Lake Carey both received the same overall water quality grade of D (Poor).
Deer Lake is in New York; Lake Carey is in Pennsylvania. Cross-state comparisons carry an extra wrinkle — Minnesota PCA and Wisconsin DNR use slightly different sampling cadences and station coverage, though both feed the same EPA Water Quality Portal. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Deer Lake (D) versus Lake Carey (D). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Deer Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.6 ft.
Lake Carey
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Deer Lake | Lake Carey |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 4.6 ft | 5.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 32 acres | 263 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
Both lakes earn the same Grade D. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Deer Lake: 4.6 ft, Lake Carey: 5.9 ft) and what you want from the lake. Deer Lake matches its peer on species count.