Black Hawk Lake vs Yellowstone Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Black Hawk Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Yellowstone Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Black Hawk Lake and Yellowstone 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. Black Hawk Lake (B) is materially cleaner than Yellowstone Lake (F). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Black Hawk 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?
Black Hawk Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.
Yellowstone Lake
Very murky, less than 1.2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Black Hawk Lake | Yellowstone Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 5 ft | 1.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 19.9 µg/L | 156 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 220 acres | 455 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
Black Hawk Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Yellowstone Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 5 ft vs 1.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Black Hawk Lake also leads with 0 species.