Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Apple River Flowage Lake vs North Twin Lake

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

North Twin Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Apple River Flowage Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Polk County, Wisconsin.

Apple River Flowage Lake and North Twin Lake are both in Wisconsin — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The grades are meaningfully apart: North Twin Lake grades a A while Apple River Flowage Lake grades a D. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.

For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — North Twin 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?

D

Apple River Flowage Lake

Polk County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.

A

North Twin Lake

Polk 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.

MetricApple River Flowage LakeNorth Twin Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity5.9 ftNo data
Phosphorus78.5 µg/L10.1 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area639 acres639 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophicoligotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

North Twin Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Apple River Flowage Lake's Grade D. For fishing diversity, North Twin Lake also leads with 0 species.