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LakeQuality

Buffalo Bill Lake 0.4 Mi From Dam vs Pony Express Lake

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

Pony Express Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Buffalo Bill Lake 0.4 Mi From Dam (D, Poor). Both are in DeKalb County, Wisconsin.

Buffalo Bill Lake 0.4 Mi From Dam and Pony Express Lake are both in Missouri — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Buffalo Bill Lake 0.4 Mi From Dam (D) versus Pony Express Lake (D). 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.

D

Buffalo Bill Lake 0.4 Mi From Dam

DeKalb County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.2 ft of visibility.

D

Pony Express Lake

DeKalb County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 1.3 ft of visibility.

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.

MetricBuffalo Bill Lake 0.4 Mi From DamPony Express Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)D (Poor)
Water Clarity2.2 ft1.3 ft
Phosphorus50 µg/L53.2 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)50.3 µg/L26.3 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area45 acres164 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Pony Express Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Buffalo Bill Lake 0.4 Mi From Dam's Grade D. Water clarity: 1.3 ft vs 2.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Pony Express Lake also leads with 0 species.