Little Prairie Lake by Dam vs Little Prairie Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Little Prairie Lake by Dam and Little Prairie Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Phelps County, Wisconsin.
Both Little Prairie Lake by Dam and Little Prairie Lake 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 — Little Prairie Lake by Dam (C) versus Little Prairie Lake (C). 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.
Little Prairie Lake by Dam
Murky, only visible to about 4.9 ft.
Little Prairie Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Little Prairie Lake by Dam | Little Prairie Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 4.9 ft | 8.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 24.5 µg/L | 54 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 6.3 µg/L | 8.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 100 acres | 100 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| 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 C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Little Prairie Lake by Dam: 4.9 ft, Little Prairie Lake: 8.6 ft) and what you want from the lake. Little Prairie Lake by Dam matches its peer on species count.