Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11 vs Oxbow Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Oxbow Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11 (A, Excellent). Both are in Oakland County, Wisconsin.
Both Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11 and Oxbow Lake sit in Michigan. 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11 (A) versus Oxbow Lake (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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 Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.
Oxbow Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11 | Oxbow Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 13 ft | 15 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.7 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 470 acres | 290 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Oxbow Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11's Grade A. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 13 ft. For fishing diversity, Oxbow Lake also leads with 1 species.