Elmwood Lake vs Milan Lake North
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Milan Lake North has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Elmwood Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Sullivan County, Wisconsin.
Both Elmwood Lake and Milan Lake North 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. Milan Lake North (B) is materially cleaner than Elmwood 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 — Milan Lake North 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.
Milan Lake North
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Elmwood Lake | Milan Lake North |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 2.7 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | 70.8 µg/L | 51.8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 35.2 µg/L | 7.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 224 acres | 15 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
Milan Lake North wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Elmwood Lake's Grade F. For fishing diversity, Milan Lake North also leads with 0 species.