Harrison County Lake vs North Bethany City Reservoir
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
North Bethany City Reservoir has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Harrison County Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Harrison County, Wisconsin.
Both Harrison County Lake and North Bethany City Reservoir sit in Missouri. 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: North Bethany City Reservoir grades a B while Harrison County Lake 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 — North Bethany City Reservoir 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?
Harrison County Lake
Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility.
North Bethany City Reservoir
Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Harrison County Lake | North Bethany City Reservoir |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 1.5 ft | 10.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 70 µg/L | 11 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 134.4 µg/L | 6.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 292 acres | 76 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
North Bethany City Reservoir wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Harrison County Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 10.5 ft vs 1.5 ft. For fishing diversity, North Bethany City Reservoir also leads with 0 species.