Elmwood Lake vs Hazel Creek Lk. Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Hazel Creek Lk. Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Elmwood Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Elmwood Lake and Hazel Creek 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: Hazel Creek Lk. Lake grades a C while Elmwood 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 — Hazel Creek 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?
Elmwood Lake
Very murky, less than 2.7 ft of visibility.
Hazel Creek Lk. Lake
Very murky, less than 2.8 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Elmwood Lake | Hazel Creek Lk. Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 2.7 ft | 2.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 70.8 µg/L | 22 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 35.2 µg/L | 19 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 224 acres | 515 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
Hazel Creek Lk. Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Elmwood Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.8 ft vs 2.7 ft. For fishing diversity, Hazel Creek Lk. Lake also leads with 0 species.