Nodaway Lake vs Windmill Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Nodaway Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Windmill Lake (F, Very Poor).
Nodaway Lake is in Missouri; Windmill Lake is in Iowa. Cross-state comparisons carry an extra wrinkle — Minnesota PCA and Wisconsin DNR use slightly different sampling cadences and station coverage, though both feed the same EPA Water Quality Portal. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Nodaway Lake (D) 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.
Nodaway Lake
Very murky, less than 2.1 ft of visibility.
Windmill Lake
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Nodaway Lake | Windmill Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2.1 ft | 2.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 57 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 34.8 µg/L | 33.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 73 acres | 24.5 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Nodaway Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Windmill Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2.1 ft vs 2.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Nodaway Lake also leads with 0 species.