Oquaga Lake vs Sbtk011.8 Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Oquaga Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Sbtk011.8 Lake (C, Fair).
Oquaga Lake is in New York; Sbtk011.8 Lake is in Pennsylvania. Cross-state comparisons carry an extra wrinkle — Minnesota PCA and Wisconsin DNR use slightly different sampling cadences and station coverage, though both feed the same EPA Water Quality Portal. The grades are meaningfully apart: Oquaga Lake grades a A while Sbtk011.8 Lake grades a C. 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 — Oquaga 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?
Oquaga Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 26.2 ft down.
Sbtk011.8 Lake
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Oquaga Lake | Sbtk011.8 Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 26.2 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | No data | 36 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 134 acres | 202 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Oquaga Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Sbtk011.8 Lake's Grade C. For fishing diversity, Oquaga Lake also leads with 0 species.