Balta Dam Lake vs Buffalo Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Balta Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Buffalo Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Pierce County, Wisconsin.
Both Balta Dam Lake and Buffalo 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Balta Dam Lake grades a C while Buffalo 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 — Balta 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?
Balta Dam Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft.
Buffalo Lake
Very murky, less than 0.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Balta Dam Lake | Buffalo Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 5.2 ft | 0.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 17.9 µg/L | 219.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 18 acres | 990 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Balta Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Buffalo Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 5.2 ft vs 0.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Balta Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.