Lake Carey vs Oquaga Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Oquaga Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Lake Carey (D, Poor).
This comparison crosses state lines: Lake Carey in Pennsylvania versus Oquaga Lake in New York. The LakeGrade rubric is uniform across both, but the underlying monitoring programs differ in subtle ways worth noting. Oquaga Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Lake Carey (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 — Oquaga 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 Carey
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.
Oquaga Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 26.2 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Carey | Oquaga Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.9 ft | 26.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 263 acres | 134 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Oquaga Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Lake Carey's Grade D. Water clarity: 26.2 ft vs 5.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Oquaga Lake also leads with 0 species.