Green Lake vs Rush Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Green Lake and Rush Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of B (Good). 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Green Lake (B) versus Rush Lake (B). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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
No clarity data.
Rush Lake
Very murky, less than 3.2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Green Lake | Rush Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | No data | 3.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 20.6 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
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to what you want from the lake. Green Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.