Lou Yaeger Lake vs Otter Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lou Yaeger Lake and Otter Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Both are in Illinois.
Lou Yaeger Lake and Otter Lake are both in Illinois — 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 close: Lou Yaeger Lake (F) and Otter Lake (F) are within one letter of each other on our A–F scale. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Lou Yaeger Lake
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility.
Otter Lake
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lou Yaeger Lake | Otter Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Algae-prone) | F (Algae-prone) |
| Water Clarity | 1.8 ft | 1.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 255 µg/L | 81 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 72.6 µg/L | 33.1 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 1,410 acres | 760 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | hypereutrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Lou Yaeger Lake or Otter Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Lou Yaeger Lake: 1.8 ft, Otter Lake: 1.8 ft) and what you want from the lake. Lou Yaeger Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.