Hat Rapids Flowage Lake vs Maple Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Maple Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Hat Rapids Flowage Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Oneida County, Wisconsin.
Hat Rapids Flowage Lake and Maple Lake are both in Wisconsin — 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. Maple Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Hat Rapids Flowage 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 — Maple 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?
Hat Rapids Flowage Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Maple Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Hat Rapids Flowage Lake | Maple Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 3.5 ft | 12.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 15.8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 640 acres | 144 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Maple Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Hat Rapids Flowage Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 12.5 ft vs 3.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Maple Lake also leads with 0 species.