Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Gopher Lake vs Rock Lake Village Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Rock Lake Village Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Gopher Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.

Both Gopher Lake and Rock Lake Village Lake 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. Rock Lake Village Lake (B) is materially cleaner than Gopher 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 — Rock Lake Village 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?

F

Gopher Lake

Jackson County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 1.2 ft of visibility.

B

Rock Lake Village Lake

Johnson County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 4.3 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricGopher LakeRock Lake Village Lake
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)B (Good)
Water Clarity1.2 ft4.3 ft
Phosphorus145.7 µg/L16 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)53 µg/L4.8 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area40 acres27 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statehypereutrophicmesotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Rock Lake Village Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Gopher Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 4.3 ft vs 1.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Rock Lake Village Lake also leads with 0 species.