Jo Shelby Lake vs Marceline Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Jo Shelby Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Marceline Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Linn County, Wisconsin.
Both Jo Shelby Lake and Marceline Lake 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: Jo Shelby Lake grades a C while Marceline 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 — Jo Shelby 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?
Jo Shelby Lake
No clarity data.
Marceline Lake
Very murky, less than 1.9 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Jo Shelby Lake | Marceline Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | No data | 1.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 48 µg/L | 110.9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 15 µg/L | 25.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 31 acres | 65 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Jo Shelby Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Marceline Lake's Grade F. For fishing diversity, Jo Shelby Lake also leads with 0 species.