Deruyter Reservoir vs Jamesville Reservoir
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Deruyter Reservoir has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Jamesville Reservoir (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Deruyter Reservoir and Jamesville Reservoir are both in New York — 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: Deruyter Reservoir grades a A while Jamesville Reservoir grades a D. 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 — Deruyter Reservoir 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?
Deruyter Reservoir
Crystal clear, you can see 17.6 ft down.
Jamesville Reservoir
Murky, only visible to about 5.3 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Deruyter Reservoir | Jamesville Reservoir |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 17.6 ft | 5.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 560 acres | 252 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Deruyter Reservoir wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Jamesville Reservoir's Grade D. Water clarity: 17.6 ft vs 5.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Deruyter Reservoir also leads with 0 species.