Lake Pahoja vs Okabena Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Pahoja and Okabena Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Very Poor).
Lake Pahoja is in Iowa; Okabena Lake is in Minnesota. Cross-state comparisons carry an extra wrinkle — Minnesota PCA and Wisconsin DNR use slightly different sampling cadences and station coverage, though both feed the same EPA Water Quality Portal. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Lake Pahoja (F) versus Okabena Lake (F). 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 Pahoja
Very murky, less than 1.7 ft of visibility.
Okabena Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Pahoja | Okabena Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 1.7 ft | 3.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 166.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 44.8 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 71.5 acres | 785 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Lake Pahoja: 1.7 ft, Okabena Lake: 3.3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Lake Pahoja has fewer fish species than Okabena Lake.