Cedar Lake vs Davis Dam Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Davis Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Cedar Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Slope County, Wisconsin.
Cedar Lake and Davis 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. Davis Dam Lake (B) is materially cleaner than Cedar 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 — Davis 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?
Cedar Lake
Very murky, less than 1.3 ft of visibility.
Davis Dam Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cedar Lake | Davis Dam Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 1.3 ft | 7.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 53.4 µg/L | 4.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 210 acres | 15.3 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Davis Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Cedar Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 7.5 ft vs 1.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Davis Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.