Lake Marie vs Lake Paho
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Marie has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Lake Paho (D, Poor). Both are in Mercer County, Wisconsin.
Lake Marie and Lake Paho 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 Marie (B) is materially cleaner than Lake Paho (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 Marie 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 Marie
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.8 ft.
Lake Paho
Very murky, less than 2.2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Marie | Lake Paho |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 7.8 ft | 2.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 13 µg/L | 37 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.7 µg/L | 48.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 30 acres | 269.1 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lake Marie wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Lake Paho's Grade D. Water clarity: 7.8 ft vs 2.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake Marie also leads with 0 species.