Smithville Lake vs Watkins Mill Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Watkins Mill Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Smithville Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Clay County, Wisconsin.
Both Smithville Lake and Watkins Mill Lake 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Smithville Lake (D) versus Watkins Mill Lake (D). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Smithville Lake
Very murky, less than 2.6 ft of visibility.
Watkins Mill Lake
Very murky, less than 3.2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Smithville Lake | Watkins Mill Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2.6 ft | 3.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 34 µg/L | 41 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 27.6 µg/L | 18.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 7.2K acres | 100 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Watkins Mill Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Smithville Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 3.2 ft vs 2.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Watkins Mill Lake also leads with 0 species.