Nell Lake vs Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Nell Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Jackson County, Wisconsin.
Both Nell Lake and Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam 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. The grades are close: Nell Lake (F) and Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam (D) 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.
Nell Lake
Very murky, less than 1.3 ft of visibility.
Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Nell Lake | Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 1.3 ft | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 132.5 µg/L | 43 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 67 µg/L | 18.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 30 acres | 300 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
Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Nell Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 3 ft vs 1.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam also leads with 0 species.