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LakeQuality

Obs-07 Lake vs Wem-08 Lake

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

Wem-08 Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Obs-07 Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Washington County, Wisconsin.

Both Obs-07 Lake and Wem-08 Lake sit in Indiana. 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 meaningfully apart: Wem-08 Lake grades a A while Obs-07 Lake grades a F. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.

For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Wem-08 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

Wem-08 Lake

Washington County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 10 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.

MetricObs-07 LakeWem-08 Lake
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity0.8 ft10 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)155.9 µg/L3.1 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area86 acres48 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statehypereutrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

Wem-08 Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Obs-07 Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 10 ft vs 0.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Wem-08 Lake also leads with 0 species.