Buffalo Lake vs Harvey Dam Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Harvey Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Buffalo Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Buffalo Lake and Harvey Dam 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. Harvey Dam Lake (C) is materially cleaner than Buffalo 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 — Harvey 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?
Buffalo Lake
Very murky, less than 0.3 ft of visibility.
Harvey Dam Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Buffalo Lake | Harvey Dam Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 0.3 ft | 5.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 219.5 µg/L | 6.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 990 acres | 360 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Harvey Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Buffalo Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 5.4 ft vs 0.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Harvey Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.