Lake Anita vs Mormon Trail Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Mormon Trail Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Lake Anita (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Lake Anita and Mormon Trail Lake are both in Iowa — 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. Mormon Trail Lake (C) is materially cleaner than Lake Anita (F). 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 — Mormon Trail 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?
Lake Anita
Very murky, less than 2.2 ft of visibility.
Mormon Trail Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Anita | Mormon Trail Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 2.2 ft | 6.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 42.2 µg/L | 9.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 171 acres | 33 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
Mormon Trail Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Lake Anita's Grade F. Water clarity: 6.2 ft vs 2.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Mormon Trail Lake also leads with 0 species.