Balta Dam Lake vs Harvey Dam Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Harvey Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Balta Dam Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Balta Dam Lake and Harvey Dam 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 close: Balta Dam Lake (C) and Harvey Dam Lake (C) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Harvey Dam Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Balta Dam Lake | Harvey Dam Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 5.2 ft | 5.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 17.9 µg/L | 6.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 18 acres | 360 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
Harvey Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Balta Dam Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 5.4 ft vs 5.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Harvey Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.