Lake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes vs Shepard Mountain Lake Intake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Shepard Mountain Lake Intake (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Lake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Lake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes grades a A while Shepard Mountain Lake Intake grades a D. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Lake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes 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 Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes
Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft.
Shepard Mountain Lake Intake
Very murky, less than 2.8 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes | Shepard Mountain Lake Intake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 14.1 ft | 2.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 7.4 µg/L | 37 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.4 µg/L | 18.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 56 acres | 21 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Shepard Mountain Lake Intake's Grade D. Water clarity: 14.1 ft vs 2.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes also leads with 0 species.