Arroda Lake vs Nelson Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Arroda Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Nelson Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Oliver County, Wisconsin.
Both Arroda Lake and Nelson 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. Arroda Lake (B) is materially cleaner than Nelson 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 — Arroda 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?
Arroda Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.7 ft.
Nelson Lake
Very murky, less than 1.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Arroda Lake | Nelson Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 6.7 ft | 1.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3 µg/L | 23.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 43.4 acres | 660 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Arroda Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Nelson Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 6.7 ft vs 1.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Arroda Lake also leads with 0 species.