Kinmundy New Lake vs Salem Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Kinmundy New Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Salem Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Marion County, Wisconsin.
Kinmundy New Lake and Salem Lake are both in Illinois — 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: Kinmundy New Lake (D) and Salem Lake (F) 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.
Kinmundy New Lake
Very murky, less than 2.9 ft of visibility.
Salem Lake
Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Kinmundy New Lake | Salem Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2.9 ft | 1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 36.5 µg/L | 197 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 100 acres | 78 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
Kinmundy New Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Salem Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.9 ft vs 1 ft. For fishing diversity, Kinmundy New Lake also leads with 0 species.