Bowling Green Lake vs Vandalia Community Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Bowling Green Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Vandalia Community Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Bowling Green Lake and Vandalia Community 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. Bowling Green Lake (C) is materially cleaner than Vandalia Community 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 — Bowling Green 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?
Bowling Green Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft.
Vandalia Community Lake
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Bowling Green Lake | Vandalia Community Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 5.5 ft | 1.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 24.6 µg/L | 110 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 5.1 µg/L | 42 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 45 acres | 38 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Bowling Green Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Vandalia Community Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 5.5 ft vs 1.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Bowling Green Lake also leads with 0 species.