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LakeQuality

Mark Twain Lake vs Perry City Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Mark Twain Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Perry City Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Ralls County, Wisconsin.

Both Mark Twain Lake and Perry City 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 — Mark Twain Lake (D) versus Perry City 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.

D

Mark Twain Lake

Ralls County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.

F

Perry City Lake

Ralls County, Wisconsin

No clarity data.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricMark Twain LakePerry City Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity2.5 ftNo data
Phosphorus60.8 µg/L240 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)18.3 µg/LNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area5.9K acres16 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophichypereutrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Mark Twain Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Perry City Lake's Grade F. For fishing diversity, Mark Twain Lake also leads with 0 species.