Rich County Lake Quality

Rich County holds 11 monitored lakes. With a sample that small the county-level summary describes those specific waters, not necessarily every water body in the county. 2 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. On average, Rich County lakes grade D, with phosphorus loading and reduced clarity showing up across most of the dataset.

Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. Woodruff Creek Reservoir (D) is the cleanest in the county.