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LakeQuality

Green Lake vs Rush Lake

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

Green Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Rush Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Wisconsin.

Both Green Lake 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 (B) and Rush Lake (C) 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.

B

Green Lake

Green Lake County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 13.1 ft.

C

Rush Lake

Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 3.2 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 LakeRush Lake
Overall GradeB (Good)C (Fair)
Water Clarity13.1 ft3.2 ft
Phosphorus23 µg/L26 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth236 ft5 ft
Surface Area7.9K acres2.7K acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Green Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Rush Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 13.1 ft vs 3.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Green Lake also leads with 0 species.