Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Ellis Lake vs Truitt Pond

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Ellis Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Truitt Pond (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.

Ellis Lake and Truitt Pond 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. Ellis Lake (C) is materially cleaner than Truitt Pond (F). 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 — Ellis 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?

C

Ellis Lake

Cortland County, Wisconsin

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.8 ft.

F

Truitt Pond

Chenango County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 3.2 ft of visibility.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricEllis LakeTruitt Pond
Overall GradeC (Fair)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity7.8 ft3.2 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area43.6 acres19 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Ellis Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Truitt Pond's Grade F. Water clarity: 7.8 ft vs 3.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Ellis Lake also leads with 0 species.