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LakeQuality

Lake 36 vs Lake St. Louis by Dam

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Lake 36 has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Lake St. Louis by Dam (F, Very Poor). Both are in St. Charles County, Wisconsin.

Both Lake 36 and Lake St. Louis by Dam 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Lake 36 (D) versus Lake St. Louis by Dam (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.

D

Lake 36

St. Charles County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.

F

Lake St. Louis by Dam

St. Charles County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.3 ft of visibility.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricLake 36Lake St. Louis by Dam
Overall GradeD (Poor)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity2.5 ft2.3 ft
Phosphorus31 µg/L74.8 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)29.4 µg/L32.2 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area16 acres563 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Lake 36 wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Lake St. Louis by Dam's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.5 ft vs 2.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake 36 also leads with 0 species.