Old Reservoir vs Rothwell Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Old Reservoir and Rothwell Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Randolph County, Wisconsin.
Both Old Reservoir and Rothwell Lake sit in Missouri. 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 — Old Reservoir (C) versus Rothwell Lake (C). 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.
Old Reservoir
Murky, only visible to about 3.6 ft.
Rothwell Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Old Reservoir | Rothwell Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 3.6 ft | 3.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 33 µg/L | 32 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 14.2 µg/L | 14.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 21 acres | 26 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
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Old Reservoir: 3.6 ft, Rothwell Lake: 3.6 ft) and what you want from the lake. Old Reservoir matches its peer on species count.