Maple Lake vs Spruce Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Maple Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Spruce Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Oneida County, Wisconsin.
Both Maple Lake and Spruce Lake sit in Wisconsin. 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. Maple Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Spruce Lake (F). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Maple 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?
Maple Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft.
Spruce Lake
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Maple Lake | Spruce Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 12.5 ft | 2.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15.8 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 144 acres | 30 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Maple Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Spruce Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 12.5 ft vs 2.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Maple Lake also leads with 0 species.