Green Lake East Basin vs Rush Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Rush Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Green Lake East Basin (C, Fair). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Green Lake East Basin and Rush Lake sit in Wisconsin. 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 close: Green Lake East Basin (C) and Rush Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Green Lake East Basin
Good clarity, visible to about 11.8 ft.
Rush Lake
Very murky, less than 3.2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Green Lake East Basin | Rush Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 11.8 ft | 3.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 41 µg/L | 26 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 236 ft | 5 ft |
| Surface Area | 7,920 acres | 2,729 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 7 | 2 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Rush Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Green Lake East Basin's Grade C. Water clarity: 3.2 ft vs 11.8 ft. For more fish-species variety, Green Lake East Basin edges ahead with 7 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.