Finger Lakes vs Stephens Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Finger Lakes has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Stephens Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Boone County, Wisconsin.
Finger Lakes and Stephens Lake 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. Finger Lakes (B) is materially cleaner than Stephens Lake (D). 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 — Finger Lakes 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?
Finger Lakes
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft.
Stephens Lake
Very murky, less than 2.6 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Finger Lakes | Stephens Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 7.9 ft | 2.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 16.5 µg/L | 39.7 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 6.1 µg/L | 19.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 79 acres | 11 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Finger Lakes wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Stephens Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 7.9 ft vs 2.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Finger Lakes also leads with 0 species.