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LakeQuality

Obs-07 Lake vs Wel-01 Lake

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

Wel-01 Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Obs-07 Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Washington County, Wisconsin.

Obs-07 Lake and Wel-01 Lake are both in Indiana — 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. Wel-01 Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Obs-07 Lake (F). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.

For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Wel-01 Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?

F

Obs-07 Lake

Washington County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 0.8 ft of visibility.

A

Wel-01 Lake

Washington County, Wisconsin

Crystal clear, you can see 15.6 ft down.

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.

MetricObs-07 LakeWel-01 Lake
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity0.8 ft15.6 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)155.9 µg/L2.6 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area86 acres210 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statehypereutrophicoligotrophic

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

Verdict

Wel-01 Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Obs-07 Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 15.6 ft vs 0.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Wel-01 Lake also leads with 0 species.