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LakeQuality

Devils Lake vs Devils Lake

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

Devils Lake and Devils Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in North Dakota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Devils Lake and Devils 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: Devils Lake (C) and Devils 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.

C

Devils Lake

Benson County, North Dakota

Murky, only visible to about 3.7 ft.

C

Devils Lake

Ramsey County, North Dakota

Murky, only visible to about 5.2 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.

MetricDevils LakeDevils Lake
Overall GradeC (Fair)C (Fair)
Water Clarity3.7 ft5.2 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)13.9 µg/L17 µg/L
Maximum Depth58.1 ft58.1 ft
Surface Area110.8K acres140.0K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species55
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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 (Devils Lake: 3.7 ft, Devils Lake: 5.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Devils Lake matches its peer on species count.