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LakeQuality

Lake Montello vs Lawrence Lake

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

Lawrence Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Lake Montello (D, Poor). Both are in Marquette County, Wisconsin.

Lake Montello and Lawrence Lake are both in Wisconsin — 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: Lawrence Lake grades a B while Lake Montello 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 — Lawrence 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?

D

Lake Montello

Marquette County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 6.1 ft.

B

Lawrence Lake

Marquette County, Wisconsin

Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.7 ft.

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 MontelloLawrence Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)B (Good)
Water Clarity6.1 ft6.7 ft
PhosphorusNo data25.2 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area2.2K acres221 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Lawrence Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Lake Montello's Grade D. Water clarity: 6.7 ft vs 6.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Lawrence Lake also leads with 0 species.