Little Lake Butte des Morts vs Rush Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Rush Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Little Lake Butte des Morts (F, Very Poor). Both are in Winnebago County, Wisconsin.
Little Lake Butte des Morts and Rush Lake are both in Wisconsin — 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. Rush Lake (C) is materially cleaner than Little Lake Butte des Morts (F). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Rush 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?
Little Lake Butte des Morts
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Rush Lake
Very murky, less than 3.2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Little Lake Butte des Morts | Rush Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 2 ft | 3.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 133.5 µg/L | 26 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 18 ft | 5 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.2K acres | 2.7K acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | 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 C versus Little Lake Butte des Morts's Grade F. Water clarity: 3.2 ft vs 2 ft. For fishing diversity, Rush Lake also leads with 0 species.