Chippewa Flowage -North of Cranberry Bars Lake vs Chippewa Flowage -Winter Dam Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Chippewa Flowage -North of Cranberry Bars Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Chippewa Flowage -Winter Dam Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Sawyer County, Wisconsin.
Chippewa Flowage -North of Cranberry Bars Lake and Chippewa Flowage -Winter Dam Lake are both in Wisconsin — 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: Chippewa Flowage -North of Cranberry Bars Lake (C) and Chippewa Flowage -Winter Dam Lake (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.
Chippewa Flowage -North of Cranberry Bars Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.9 ft.
Chippewa Flowage -Winter Dam Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Chippewa Flowage -North of Cranberry Bars Lake | Chippewa Flowage -Winter Dam Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 4.9 ft | 4.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 32 µg/L | 42 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 10 µg/L | 8.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 92 ft | 92 ft |
| Surface Area | 14,593 acres | 14,593 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 8 | 8 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Chippewa Flowage -North of Cranberry Bars Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Chippewa Flowage -Winter Dam Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 4.9 ft vs 4.4 ft. For fishing diversity, Chippewa Flowage -North of Cranberry Bars Lake also leads with 8 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.