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LakeQuality

Fordville Dam Lake vs Larimore Dam Lake

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

Fordville Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Larimore Dam Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Grand Forks County, Wisconsin.

Fordville Dam Lake and Larimore 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. The grades are close: Fordville Dam Lake (C) and Larimore 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.

C

Fordville Dam Lake

Grand Forks County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft.

D

Larimore Dam Lake

Grand Forks County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 3 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.

MetricFordville Dam LakeLarimore Dam Lake
Overall GradeC (Fair)D (Poor)
Water Clarity4.4 ft3 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)5.2 µg/L13.3 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area197.1 acres72 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Fordville Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Larimore Dam Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 4.4 ft vs 3 ft. For fishing diversity, Fordville Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.