Cole Lake vs Lake Wauwanoka Nr. Dam
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Wauwanoka Nr. Dam has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Cole Lake (B, Good). Both are in Jefferson County, Wisconsin.
Both Cole Lake and Lake Wauwanoka Nr. Dam 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. The grades are close: Cole Lake (B) and Lake Wauwanoka Nr. Dam (A) 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.
Cole Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18.5 ft down.
Lake Wauwanoka Nr. Dam
Good clarity, visible to about 12.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cole Lake | Lake Wauwanoka Nr. Dam |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 18.5 ft | 12.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 17 µg/L | 8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 16.5 µg/L | 1.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 42 acres | 86 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lake Wauwanoka Nr. Dam wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Cole Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 12.9 ft vs 18.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake Wauwanoka Nr. Dam also leads with 0 species.