Lake Arrowhead vs Smithville Lake by Dam
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Smithville Lake by Dam has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Lake Arrowhead (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Lake Arrowhead and Smithville Lake 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 Arrowhead (D) versus Smithville Lake by Dam (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.
Lake Arrowhead
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Smithville Lake by Dam
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Arrowhead | Smithville Lake by Dam |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2 ft | 3.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 68.2 µg/L | 37 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 28.2 µg/L | 25.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 87 acres | 7.2K 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
Smithville Lake by Dam wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Lake Arrowhead's Grade D. Water clarity: 3.3 ft vs 2 ft. For fishing diversity, Smithville Lake by Dam also leads with 0 species.