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LakeQuality

Castle Rock Dam Lake vs North Lemmon Lake

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

North Lemmon Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Castle Rock Dam Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.

Castle Rock Dam Lake and North Lemmon 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. North Lemmon Lake (B) is materially cleaner than Castle Rock Dam 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 — North Lemmon 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?

D

Castle Rock Dam Lake

Hettinger County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 3.8 ft.

B

North Lemmon Lake

Adams County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 5.7 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.

MetricCastle Rock Dam LakeNorth Lemmon Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)B (Good)
Water Clarity3.8 ft5.7 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)24.3 µg/L4.8 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area14.2 acres49.8 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

North Lemmon Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Castle Rock Dam Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 5.7 ft vs 3.8 ft. For fishing diversity, North Lemmon Lake also leads with 0 species.