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LakeQuality

Arkdale Lake vs Big Roche A Cri Lake

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

Big Roche A Cri Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Arkdale Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Adams County, Wisconsin.

Both Arkdale Lake and Big Roche A Cri 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. The grades are close: Arkdale Lake (C) and Big Roche A Cri Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.

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.

C

Arkdale Lake

Adams County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.

B

Big Roche A Cri Lake

Adams County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft.

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.

MetricArkdale LakeBig Roche A Cri Lake
Overall GradeC (Fair)B (Good)
Water Clarity5 ft10 ft
Phosphorus21.8 µg/L22.3 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area55 acres204 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

Big Roche A Cri Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Arkdale Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 10 ft vs 5 ft. For fishing diversity, Big Roche A Cri Lake also leads with 0 species.