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Dry Lake vs Lake Alice

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

Dry Lake and Lake Alice both received the same overall water quality grade of D (Poor). Both are in Ramsey County, North Dakota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Both Dry Lake and Lake Alice 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Dry Lake (D) versus Lake Alice (D). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.

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.

D

Dry Lake

Ramsey County, North Dakota

Very murky, less than 2.8 ft of visibility.

D

Lake Alice

Ramsey County, North Dakota

Very murky, less than 3.1 ft of visibility.

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.

MetricDry LakeLake Alice
Overall GradeD (Poor)D (Poor)
Water Clarity2.8 ft3.1 ft
Phosphorus639.5 µg/L351.5 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)13.1 µg/L18.8 µg/L
Maximum Depth24.1 ft8 ft
Surface Area5.5K acres3.1K acres
Public AccessYesUnknown
Fish Species43
Trophic Statehypereutrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade D. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Dry Lake: 2.8 ft, Lake Alice: 3.1 ft) and what you want from the lake. Dry Lake supports more documented fish species.