Henry Sever Lake vs Shelbyville Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Henry Sever Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Shelbyville Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Henry Sever Lake and Shelbyville Lake 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Henry Sever Lake (D) versus Shelbyville Lake (F). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Henry Sever Lake
Very murky, less than 2.1 ft of visibility.
Shelbyville Lake
Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Henry Sever Lake | Shelbyville Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2.1 ft | 1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 58 µg/L | 252.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 25.4 µg/L | 112.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 160 acres | 30 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Henry Sever Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Shelbyville Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.1 ft vs 1 ft. For fishing diversity, Henry Sever Lake also leads with 0 species.