Crawford Creek Lake vs Oldham Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Oldham Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Crawford Creek Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Crawford Creek Lake and Oldham 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. Oldham Lake (C) is materially cleaner than Crawford Creek 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 — Oldham 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?
Crawford Creek Lake
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility.
Oldham Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Crawford Creek Lake | Oldham Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 1.6 ft | 5.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 50.4 µg/L | 8.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 63 acres | 16.1 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
Oldham Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Crawford Creek Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 5.1 ft vs 1.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Oldham Lake also leads with 0 species.