Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Mcginnis Lake vs Peppermill Lake

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

Peppermill Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Mcginnis Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Adams County, Wisconsin.

Mcginnis Lake and Peppermill Lake are both in Wisconsin — 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: Mcginnis Lake (C) and Peppermill Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. 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.

C

Mcginnis Lake

Adams County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 6.2 ft.

B

Peppermill Lake

Adams County, Wisconsin

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft.

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.

MetricMcginnis LakePeppermill Lake
Overall GradeC (Fair)B (Good)
Water Clarity6.2 ft7.5 ft
Phosphorus21.3 µg/L27 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area33 acres80 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

Peppermill Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Mcginnis Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 7.5 ft vs 6.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Peppermill Lake also leads with 0 species.