Lake Nehai Tonkayea vs Sterling Price Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Nehai Tonkayea has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Sterling Price Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Chariton County, Wisconsin.
Lake Nehai Tonkayea and Sterling Price Lake 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 Nehai Tonkayea (B) is materially cleaner than Sterling Price Lake (F). 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 Nehai Tonkayea 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 Nehai Tonkayea
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Sterling Price Lake
Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Nehai Tonkayea | Sterling Price Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 8 ft | 1.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | 128.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.3 µg/L | 78.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 250 acres | 35 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | hypereutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lake Nehai Tonkayea wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Sterling Price Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 8 ft vs 1.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake Nehai Tonkayea also leads with 0 species.