Birch Lake vs Murphy Flowage Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Birch Lake and Murphy Flowage Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Birch Lake (C) versus Murphy Flowage 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.
Birch Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft.
Murphy Flowage Lake
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Birch Lake | Murphy Flowage Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 5.5 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | 27.6 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
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to what you want from the lake. Birch Lake matches its peer on species count.