Bylin Dam Lake vs Fordville Dam Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Bylin Dam Lake and Fordville Dam Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Wisconsin.
Bylin Dam Lake and Fordville Dam Lake are both in North Dakota — 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. The grades are close: Bylin Dam Lake (C) and Fordville Dam Lake (C) 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.
Bylin Dam Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.2 ft.
Fordville Dam Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Bylin Dam Lake | Fordville Dam Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 7.2 ft | 4.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | 5.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 59.9 acres | 197.1 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Bylin Dam Lake: 7.2 ft, Fordville Dam Lake: 4.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Bylin Dam Lake matches its peer on species count.