Crawford Creek Lake vs Nelson Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Nelson Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Crawford Creek Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Crawford Creek Lake and Nelson 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. The grades are close: Crawford Creek Lake (F) and Nelson Lake (D) 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.
Crawford Creek Lake
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility.
Nelson Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Crawford Creek Lake | Nelson Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 1.6 ft | 3.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 50.4 µg/L | 30.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 63 acres | 11 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
Nelson Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Crawford Creek Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 3.8 ft vs 1.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Nelson Lake also leads with 0 species.