Mccormack Lake vs Ripley County Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Mccormack Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Ripley County Lake (B, Good). Both are in Wisconsin.
Mccormack Lake and Ripley County Lake are both in Missouri — 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Mccormack Lake (A) versus Ripley County Lake (B). 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.
Mccormack Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.7 ft.
Ripley County Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Mccormack Lake | Ripley County Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 11.7 ft | 6.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 6 µg/L | 11 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3 µg/L | 2.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 10 acres | 20 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Mccormack Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Ripley County Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 11.7 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Mccormack Lake also leads with 0 species.