Lake George vs Lake James
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake George and Lake James both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Steuben County, Indiana.
Both Lake George and Lake James sit in Indiana. 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. The grades are close: Lake George (A) and Lake James (A) are within one letter of each other on our A–F scale. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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 George
Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft.
Lake James
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake George | Lake James |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 14.5 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | 22 µg/L | 21 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2 µg/L | 2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 538 acres | 1,883 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Lake George or Lake James against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to what you want from the lake. Lake George matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.