Fountain Lake vs Mcdill Pond
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Fountain Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Mcdill Pond (C, Fair). Both are in Portage County, Wisconsin.
Both Fountain Lake and Mcdill Pond sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. Fountain Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Mcdill Pond (C). 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 — Fountain 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?
Fountain Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 22 ft down.
Mcdill Pond
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Fountain Lake | Mcdill Pond |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 22 ft | 5 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 34.2 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 16 acres | 261 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
Fountain Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Mcdill Pond's Grade C. Water clarity: 22 ft vs 5 ft. For fishing diversity, Fountain Lake also leads with 0 species.