Mckinley Lake vs Thayer Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Thayer Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Mckinley Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Union County, Wisconsin.
Mckinley Lake and Thayer Lake are both in Iowa — 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 — Mckinley Lake (F) versus Thayer Lake (D). 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.
Mckinley Lake
Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility.
Thayer Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Mckinley Lake | Thayer Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 1 ft | 3.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 69.3 µg/L | 34.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 38 acres | 14.1 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Thayer Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Mckinley Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 3.5 ft vs 1 ft. For fishing diversity, Thayer Lake also leads with 0 species.