Balta Dam Lake vs Buffalo Lodge Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Buffalo Lodge Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Balta Dam Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Wisconsin.
Balta Dam Lake and Buffalo Lodge 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Balta Dam Lake (C) versus Buffalo Lodge Lake (C). 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.
Balta Dam Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft.
Buffalo Lodge Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Balta Dam Lake | Buffalo Lodge Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 5.2 ft | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 17.9 µg/L | 2.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 18 acres | 1.4K acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Buffalo Lodge Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Balta Dam Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 3 ft vs 5.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Buffalo Lodge Lake also leads with 0 species.