Antelope Lake vs Buffalo Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Antelope Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Buffalo Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Pierce County, North Dakota.
Both Antelope Lake and Buffalo Lake sit in North Dakota. 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 — Antelope Lake (D) versus Buffalo 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.
Antelope Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Buffalo Lake
Very murky, less than 0.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Antelope Lake | Buffalo Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 3.5 ft | 0.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 43.6 µg/L | 219.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 24.3 ft | 15.9 ft |
| Surface Area | 2.6K acres | 990 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 2 | 5 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Antelope Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Buffalo Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 3.5 ft vs 0.3 ft. For more fish-species variety, Buffalo Lake edges ahead with 5 documented species.