Birch Lake vs Murphy Flowage Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Murphy Flowage Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Birch Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Birch Lake and Murphy Flowage 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. The grades are close: Birch Lake (D) and Murphy Flowage 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.
Birch Lake
No clarity data.
Murphy Flowage Lake
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Birch Lake | Murphy Flowage Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | No data | No data |
| Phosphorus | 60.3 µg/L | 33.4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 2.3K acres | 188 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
Murphy Flowage Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Birch Lake's Grade D. For fishing diversity, Murphy Flowage Lake also leads with 0 species.