Balsam Lake Little Balsam Site vs Balsam Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Balsam Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Balsam Lake Little Balsam Site (C, Fair). Both are in Polk County, Wisconsin.
Both Balsam Lake Little Balsam Site and Balsam 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Balsam Lake Little Balsam Site (C) versus Balsam Lake (B). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Balsam Lake Little Balsam Site
Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft.
Balsam Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Balsam Lake Little Balsam Site | Balsam Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 5.7 ft | 13 ft |
| Phosphorus | 42.7 µg/L | 23.4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 37 ft | 37 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.9K acres | 1.9K acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Balsam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Balsam Lake Little Balsam Site's Grade C. Water clarity: 13 ft vs 5.7 ft. For fishing diversity, Balsam Lake also leads with 0 species.