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LakeQuality

Lake St. Louis by Dam vs Lake St. Louis

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

Lake St. Louis has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Lake St. Louis by Dam (F, Very Poor). Both are in St. Charles County, Wisconsin.

Both Lake St. Louis by Dam and Lake St. Louis sit in Missouri. 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 St. Louis by Dam (F) versus Lake St. Louis (D). 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.

F

Lake St. Louis by Dam

St. Charles County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.3 ft of visibility.

D

Lake St. Louis

St. Charles County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.7 ft of visibility.

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 St. Louis by DamLake St. Louis
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)D (Poor)
Water Clarity2.3 ft2.7 ft
Phosphorus74.8 µg/L50 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)32.2 µg/L74.3 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area563 acres563 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Lake St. Louis wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Lake St. Louis by Dam's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.7 ft vs 2.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake St. Louis also leads with 0 species.