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LakeQuality

Lake of Three Fires Max Depth vs Windmill Lake

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

Lake of Three Fires Max Depth and Windmill Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Very Poor). Both are in Taylor County, Wisconsin.

Both Lake of Three Fires Max Depth and Windmill Lake sit in Iowa. 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 — Lake of Three Fires Max Depth (F) versus Windmill Lake (F). 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.

F

Lake of Three Fires Max Depth

Taylor County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.

F

Windmill Lake

Taylor County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.5 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.

MetricLake of Three Fires Max DepthWindmill Lake
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity2 ft2.5 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)58.6 µg/L33.9 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area125 acres24.5 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Lake of Three Fires Max Depth: 2 ft, Windmill Lake: 2.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Lake of Three Fires Max Depth matches its peer on species count.