Goose Lake vs Rush Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Goose Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Rush Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Chisago County, Minnesota.
Both Goose Lake and Rush Lake sit in Minnesota. 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 meaningfully apart: Goose Lake grades a C while Rush 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 — Goose 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?
Goose Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft.
Rush Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Goose Lake | Rush Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 4.5 ft | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 30.5 µg/L | 55.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 11.5 µg/L | 31.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft | 24 ft |
| Surface Area | 732 acres | 1,494 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 | 16 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Goose Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Rush Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 4.5 ft vs 3 ft. For more fish-species variety, Rush Lake edges ahead with 16 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.