Devils Lake vs Free Peoples Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Free Peoples Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Devils Lake (C, Fair). Both are in North Dakota.
Both Devils Lake and Free Peoples Lake sit in North Dakota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are meaningfully apart: Free Peoples Lake grades a A while Devils Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Free Peoples 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?
Devils Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft.
Free Peoples Lake
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Devils Lake | Free Peoples Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.2 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | No data | 18.7 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 17 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 58.1 ft | 54 ft |
| Surface Area | 140.0K acres | 543.6 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 5 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Free Peoples Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Devils Lake's Grade C. For more fish-species variety, Devils Lake edges ahead with 5 documented species.