Cottontail Lake vs Lotawana Lk. Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lotawana Lk. Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Cottontail Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Jackson County, Wisconsin.
Cottontail Lake and Lotawana Lk. Lake are both in Missouri — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The grades are meaningfully apart: Lotawana Lk. Lake grades a C while Cottontail Lake grades a F. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Lotawana Lk. 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?
Cottontail Lake
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility.
Lotawana Lk. Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cottontail Lake | Lotawana Lk. Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 1.6 ft | 4.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 86.5 µg/L | 31 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 39.4 µg/L | 12.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 21 acres | 480 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
Lotawana Lk. Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Cottontail Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 4.6 ft vs 1.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Lotawana Lk. Lake also leads with 0 species.