Lake Paho vs Nine Eagles Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Nine Eagles Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Lake Paho (D, Poor).
This comparison crosses state lines: Lake Paho in Missouri versus Nine Eagles Lake in Iowa. The LakeGrade rubric is uniform across both, but the underlying monitoring programs differ in subtle ways worth noting. Nine Eagles Lake (A) 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 — Nine Eagles 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?
Lake Paho
Very murky, less than 2.2 ft of visibility.
Nine Eagles Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Paho | Nine Eagles Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 2.2 ft | 11 ft |
| Phosphorus | 37 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 48.2 µg/L | 3.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 269.1 acres | 59 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Nine Eagles Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Lake Paho's Grade D. Water clarity: 11 ft vs 2.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Nine Eagles Lake also leads with 0 species.