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LakeQuality

Mckinley Lake vs Summit Lake

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

Mckinley Lake and Summit Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Very Poor). Both are in Union County, Wisconsin.

Both Mckinley Lake and Summit Lake sit in Iowa. 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. The grades are close: Mckinley Lake (F) and Summit Lake (F) 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.

F

Mckinley Lake

Union County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility.

F

Summit Lake

Union County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 1.4 ft of visibility.

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.

MetricMckinley LakeSummit Lake
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity1 ft1.4 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)69.3 µg/L45.7 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area38 acres202 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statehypereutrophichypereutrophic

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

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Mckinley Lake: 1 ft, Summit Lake: 1.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Mckinley Lake matches its peer on species count.