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LakeQuality

Lake Anita vs Nodaway Lake

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

Nodaway Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Lake Anita (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.

Both Lake Anita and Nodaway Lake sit in Iowa. 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 Anita (F) versus Nodaway Lake (D). 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.

F

Lake Anita

Cass County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.2 ft of visibility.

D

Nodaway Lake

Adair County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.8 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 AnitaNodaway Lake
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)D (Poor)
Water Clarity2.2 ft2.8 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)42.2 µg/L27.6 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area171 acres27 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Nodaway Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Lake Anita's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.8 ft vs 2.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Nodaway Lake also leads with 0 species.