Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Harrison County Lake vs Lake Paho

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

Lake Paho has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Harrison County Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.

Harrison County Lake and Lake Paho 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. The grades are close: Harrison County Lake (F) and Lake Paho (D) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.

With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.

F

Harrison County Lake

Harrison County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility.

D

Lake Paho

Mercer County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.2 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.

MetricHarrison County LakeLake Paho
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)D (Poor)
Water Clarity1.5 ft2.2 ft
Phosphorus70 µg/L37 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)134.4 µg/L48.2 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area292 acres269.1 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statehypereutrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Lake Paho wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Harrison County Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.2 ft vs 1.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake Paho also leads with 0 species.