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LakeQuality

Arnegard Dam Lake vs Odland Dam Lake

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

Arnegard Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Odland Dam Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.

Arnegard Dam Lake and Odland Dam Lake 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. Arnegard Dam Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Odland Dam Lake (D). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.

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

A

Arnegard Dam Lake

McKenzie County, Wisconsin

No clarity data.

D

Odland Dam Lake

Golden Valley County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility.

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.

MetricArnegard Dam LakeOdland Dam Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)D (Poor)
Water ClarityNo data1.5 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)3.1 µg/L29.6 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area24.2 acres128.2 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Arnegard Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Odland Dam Lake's Grade D. For fishing diversity, Arnegard Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.