Lake Arrowhead vs Smithville Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Smithville Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Lake Arrowhead (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Lake Arrowhead and Smithville Lake are both in Missouri — 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Lake Arrowhead (D) versus Smithville 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.
Lake Arrowhead
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Smithville Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Arrowhead | Smithville Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2 ft | 2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 68.2 µg/L | 48.8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 28.2 µg/L | 27.2 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 wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Lake Arrowhead's Grade D. Water clarity: 2 ft vs 2 ft. For fishing diversity, Smithville Lake also leads with 0 species.