Fox Valley Lake vs Lake Sugema
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Fox Valley Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Lake Sugema (F, Very Poor).
This comparison crosses state lines: Fox Valley Lake in Missouri versus Lake Sugema in Iowa. The LakeGrade rubric is uniform across both, but the underlying monitoring programs differ in subtle ways worth noting. The grades are meaningfully apart: Fox Valley Lake grades a B while Lake Sugema grades a F. 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 — Fox Valley 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?
Fox Valley Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.5 ft.
Lake Sugema
Very murky, less than 2.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Fox Valley Lake | Lake Sugema |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 8.5 ft | 2.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 16.5 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.6 µg/L | 32.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 96 acres | 574 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
Fox Valley Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Lake Sugema's Grade F. Water clarity: 8.5 ft vs 2.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Fox Valley Lake also leads with 0 species.