Macon City Lake vs Shelbyville Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Macon City Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Shelbyville Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Macon City Lake and Shelbyville 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 — Macon City Lake (D) versus Shelbyville 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.
Macon City Lake
Very murky, less than 1.9 ft of visibility.
Shelbyville Lake
Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Macon City Lake | Shelbyville Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 1.9 ft | 1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 52.2 µg/L | 252.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 21.9 µg/L | 112.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 205 acres | 30 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Macon City Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Shelbyville Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 1.9 ft vs 1 ft. For fishing diversity, Macon City Lake also leads with 0 species.