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LakeQuality

Rush Lake vs Silver Creek Estuary Lake

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

Rush Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Silver Creek Estuary Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.

Both Rush Lake and Silver Creek Estuary Lake sit in Wisconsin. 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. Rush Lake (C) is materially cleaner than Silver Creek Estuary Lake (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?

C

Rush Lake

Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 3.2 ft of visibility.

F

Silver Creek Estuary Lake

Green Lake County, Wisconsin

No clarity data.

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.

MetricRush LakeSilver Creek Estuary Lake
Overall GradeC (Fair)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity3.2 ftNo data
Phosphorus26 µg/L122 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth5 ft236 ft
Surface Area2.7K acres7.9K acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophichypereutrophic

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 Silver Creek Estuary Lake's Grade F. For fishing diversity, Rush Lake also leads with 0 species.