Armourdale Dam Lake vs Belcourt Lake Beach
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Armourdale Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Belcourt Lake Beach (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Armourdale Dam Lake and Belcourt Lake Beach are both in North Dakota — 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: Armourdale Dam Lake grades a C while Belcourt Lake Beach grades a F. 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 — Armourdale Dam 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?
Armourdale Dam Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.2 ft.
Belcourt Lake Beach
Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Armourdale Dam Lake | Belcourt Lake Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 7.2 ft | 1 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 79.8 acres | 827 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | hypereutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Armourdale Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Belcourt Lake Beach's Grade F. Water clarity: 7.2 ft vs 1 ft. For fishing diversity, Armourdale Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.