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LakeQuality

Pepin Lake vs Pepin Lake

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

Pepin Lake and Pepin Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Very Poor).

Pepin Lake is in Minnesota; Pepin Lake is in Wisconsin. 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 close: Pepin Lake (F) and Pepin Lake (F) 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.

F

Pepin Lake

Pepin County, Minnesota

Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.

F

Pepin Lake

Pepin County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility.

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.

MetricPepin LakePepin Lake
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity3 ft1.6 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth60 ft60 ft
Surface Area12.3K acres24.6K acres
Public AccessYesUnknown
Fish Species10
Trophic Stateeutrophichypereutrophic

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

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Pepin Lake: 3 ft, Pepin Lake: 1.6 ft) and what you want from the lake. Pepin Lake supports more documented fish species.