Arrowhead Lake vs Dexter Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Arrowhead Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Dexter Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Arrowhead Lake and Dexter 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: Arrowhead Lake grades a C while Dexter Lake 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 — Arrowhead 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?
Arrowhead Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft.
Dexter Lake
Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Arrowhead Lake | Dexter Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 6.5 ft | 1.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 20.8 µg/L | 483 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 300 acres | 298 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
Arrowhead Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Dexter Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 6.5 ft vs 1.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Arrowhead Lake also leads with 0 species.