Lake Wissota vs Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Lake Wissota (D, Poor). Both are in Chippewa County, Wisconsin.
Lake Wissota and Long Lake are both in Wisconsin — 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Long Lake grades a A while Lake Wissota grades a D. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Long 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 Wissota
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Long Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Wissota | Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 3.5 ft | 12.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 76.4 µg/L | 12.4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 64.4 ft | 101 ft |
| Surface Area | 6.1K acres | 936 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
Long Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Lake Wissota's Grade D. Water clarity: 12.7 ft vs 3.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Long Lake also leads with 0 species.