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LakeQuality

Blacktail Dam Lake vs Epping-Springbrook Dam-Deepest Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Blacktail Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Epping-Springbrook Dam-Deepest Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Williams County, Wisconsin.

Both Blacktail Dam Lake and Epping-Springbrook Dam-Deepest 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. Blacktail Dam Lake (B) is materially cleaner than Epping-Springbrook Dam-Deepest Lake (D). 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 — Blacktail Dam 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?

B

Blacktail Dam Lake

Williams County, Wisconsin

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.2 ft.

D

Epping-Springbrook Dam-Deepest Lake

Williams County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 4.9 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricBlacktail Dam LakeEpping-Springbrook Dam-Deepest Lake
Overall GradeB (Good)D (Poor)
Water Clarity7.2 ft4.9 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)8.6 µg/L21.3 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area158 acres148 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Blacktail Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Epping-Springbrook Dam-Deepest Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 7.2 ft vs 4.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Blacktail Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.