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LakeQuality

Green Castle Lake vs Union Grove Lake

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

Green Castle Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Union Grove Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.

Green Castle Lake and Union Grove Lake are both in Iowa — 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: Green Castle Lake grades a C while Union Grove 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 — Green Castle 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?

C

Green Castle Lake

Marshall County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 4.6 ft.

F

Union Grove Lake

Tama County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility.

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.

MetricGreen Castle LakeUnion Grove Lake
Overall GradeC (Fair)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity4.6 ft1.6 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)6.9 µg/L88.5 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area17 acres117 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophichypereutrophic

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

Verdict

Green Castle Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Union Grove Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 4.6 ft vs 1.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Green Castle Lake also leads with 0 species.