Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Mariposa Lake vs Rkcrk 5 Lake

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

Mariposa Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Rkcrk 5 Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Jasper County, Wisconsin.

Both Mariposa Lake and Rkcrk 5 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Mariposa Lake grades a C while Rkcrk 5 Lake grades a F. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.

For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Mariposa 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?

C

Mariposa Lake

Jasper County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 5.1 ft.

F

Rkcrk 5 Lake

Jasper County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 1.1 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.

MetricMariposa LakeRkcrk 5 Lake
Overall GradeC (Fair)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity5.1 ft1.1 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)8.9 µg/LNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area18.7 acres640 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophichypereutrophic

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

Verdict

Mariposa Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Rkcrk 5 Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 5.1 ft vs 1.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Mariposa Lake also leads with 0 species.