Big Hollow Lake vs Poll Miller Park Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Poll Miller Park Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Big Hollow Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Big Hollow Lake and Poll Miller Park Lake sit in Iowa. 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. Poll Miller Park Lake (C) is materially cleaner than Big Hollow 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 — Poll Miller Park 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?
Big Hollow Lake
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility.
Poll Miller Park Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Hollow Lake | Poll Miller Park Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 1.8 ft | 5.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 46 µg/L | 7.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 178 acres | 15.2 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
Poll Miller Park Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Big Hollow Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 5.9 ft vs 1.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Poll Miller Park Lake also leads with 0 species.