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LakeQuality

Lake Capri vs Shepard Mountain Lake Intake

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

Lake Capri has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Shepard Mountain Lake Intake (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.

Lake Capri and Shepard Mountain Lake Intake 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. Lake Capri (A) is materially cleaner than Shepard Mountain Lake Intake (D). 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 — Lake Capri 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?

A

Lake Capri

St. Francois County, Wisconsin

Crystal clear, you can see 16.3 ft down.

D

Shepard Mountain Lake Intake

Iron 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 CapriShepard Mountain Lake Intake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)D (Poor)
Water Clarity16.3 ft2.8 ft
Phosphorus5.7 µg/L37 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)0.9 µg/L18.3 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area112 acres21 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateoligotrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Lake Capri wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Shepard Mountain Lake Intake's Grade D. Water clarity: 16.3 ft vs 2.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake Capri also leads with 0 species.