Buffalo Lake vs Lake Montello
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Montello has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Buffalo Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Marquette County, Wisconsin.
Both Buffalo Lake and Lake Montello 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: Buffalo Lake (F) and Lake Montello (D) 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.
Buffalo Lake
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.
Lake Montello
Murky, only visible to about 6.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Buffalo Lake | Lake Montello |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2.5 ft | 6.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 125.5 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 2.2K acres | 2.2K 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
Lake Montello wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Buffalo Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 6.1 ft vs 2.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake Montello also leads with 0 species.